Arizona does have a James Beard Award nominee. And they’re heading to New York this month for the award ceremony.

Phoenix couple Michelle Jacoby and Mark Lipczynski have been nominated for Best Video Webcast, on Location as the producers of the Elements video series. Jacoby will represent the duo at the award ceremony with the videos’ director and filmmaker, Andrew Gooi. The nomination is part of the James Beard Media Awards that will be presented on Tuesday, April 25 at New York City’s Chelsea Piers. 

Like the chef and restaurant based categories, James Beard Media Awards honor excellence in culinary writing, broadcast and journalism. They honor the best in everything from cookbooks and photography to documentaries, television programs and even on-air hosts.

Jacoby and Lipcyznski are nominated for a series of 6 video shorts called Elements that profile Arizonans using elements of nature in their crafts.

“Elements started as a way for Mark, Andrew and I to use our skills of video, words and photography as a way to elevate the storytelling experience,” said Michelle. “The resulting film was even more than we expected. It’s a beautiful tribute to the depth of our state’s food community.”

The six elements showcase beekeeping, foraging, beer making, molecular gastronomy, the perfect cocktail, and cooking on an open flame.

• Earth: Brian Konefal, Coppa Cafe
• Ice: Ross Simon, Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour
• Smoke: Jeff Kraus, Crepe Bar
• Air: Derrick Shields, beekeeper
• Fire: Akos Szabo, formerly of Match Cuisine at the FOUND:RE
• Water: Julie Meeker, Mother Bunch Brewing

You can view the film at ReadBite.com/elements. It is 17 minutes long. 

Jacoby and Lipczynski both worked at the Arizona Republic, she as a writer and editor, he as a photojournalist. After a combined 20 years in the daily newspaper business, both left to pursue freelance careers. They founded Bite Magazine in 2014 to tell in-depth stories about Arizona’s food and beverage community. This isn’t the first time Bite’s editorial and photography has received national recognition. In 2016, the magazine was named a Saveur Blog Award finalist in the Best Video category. 

About Bite Magazine

Bite Magazine is an online publication that celebrates Arizona’s food, drink and crafting cultures through photos, film and words. Read Bite’s stories at readbite.com or visit them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @readbite.

Many thanks to publicist Angela Muñiz of Tin Can Marketing for sharing this story with My Local News