TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The MSA Annex in Tucson's Mercado District continues its expansion with two exciting new food establishments opening their doors this month. BŌS Burger, a Japanese-inspired burger joint, and Hidden Hearth Bakery, a specialty whole-grain bakery, are the latest additions to the growing scene that has been developing since 2018.
BŌS Burger launched their soft opening over the weekend and will be having their grand opening on Monday, Dec. 8.
Michael McCormack, co-owner of BŌS Burger, is excited to incorporate his Japanese style of cooking into the burgers and hopes everyone enjoys it.
"I'm doing a little bit of Japanese-inspired sauces and the Wagyu; the meat is Japanese-inspired meat as well, so that's the route we're going, and we'll be doing Japanese katsu sandwiches," McCormack said.
He credits his wife's father for educating him about Japanese food.
"He was teaching me how to do the Japanese way, not cutting corners, making sure everything is perfect, and from there went to Japan, learned with this other family the katsu, and it's been great," McCormack said.
He and his wife, Akiko Senda, own other businesses in the Mercado District — one is a restaurant called Kukai that serves ramen and sushi, and the other is a flower shop called Bloom Maven.
They plan to add a bar to the restaurant in the near future as well.
“Here at the Annex and also the Mercado District, it’s community. Everyone here has been amazing. We love to build for everyone to come, all around Tucson," McCormack said.
Hidden Hearth Bakery is opening Tuesday as a new micro and wholesale bakery specializing in whole-grain breads and fresh-milled flour.
The bakery is led by Alexander Phaneuf, a two-time James Beard Award semi-finalist baker.
"We're here to make whole-grain breads, mill fresh flour and maybe a little bit extra," Alexander Phaneuf said.
Wholesale clients include Agustín Kitchen, Bōs Burger, Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas and Crooked Tooth Brewing Company.
We are trying to showcase Southern Arizona grains, but also Southwest grains as a whole. So we're sourcing from West Texas all the way to kind of the western part of Arizona," Phaneuf said. "We mill some of our flours in-house. We get a lot of our flour stone milled to order."
The menu features three different types of rye bread, which Phaneuf says offers health benefits.
"Rye is really healthy. It's got a protein in it that breaks down gluten, but you have to bake it a certain way, and it's often baked the night before," Phaneuf explained.
Hidden Hearth operates without a traditional retail storefront, instead offering a pickup window for pre-packed orders. The bakery also has plans for pop-up events.
"We're gonna do wood-fired pita, and falafel, and probably some pizza," Phaneuf said.
Phaneuf believes the Mercado District provides the perfect environment for the bakery concept.
"Being in the real birthplace of Tucson, a place that has some really ancient architecture, we're on such stunning indigenous land, it feels like a duty and an honor to do something special in this space," Phaneuf said. "I think it could have been a lot of other places, but the west side needs stuff like this and we feel proud to be a part of it, and we hope to grow and learn more and hear what everybody has to say and probably change some things along the way to make sure we're settling in properly."
Customers are asked to place their orders Monday afternoon and pick-up Wednesday mornings at the bakery walk-up window.
The MSA Annex now houses 15 small businesses, contributing to more than 35 total businesses throughout the Mercado District.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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