Epicure: One Bite at a Time

Epicure: One Bite at a Time, hosted on April 25, was an unforgettable evening celebrating food, community, and the collective impact we can make together. On behalf of Channel One and our honorary co-chairs, Drs. Amy Williams and Mark Larson, thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, volunteered, and supported this year’s event. We are also incredibly grateful to our 13 restaurant partners who helped make the evening so special through their creativity and generosity.

Thanks to the support of our community, Epicure 2026 raised more than $153,000 to help strengthen food access and support neighbors facing food insecurity across our region. From the incredible cuisine to the powerful stories shared throughout the evening, your support made a meaningful difference and helps to  continue building healthier communities while helping fight food insecurity, one bite at a time!

Dr. Amy Williams is the Mayo Clinic Executive Dean of Practice, Professor of Medicine in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and faculty member in the Division of Hypertension and Nephrology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In 2019, she was elected to serve on the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees. She has held numerous leadership positions while managing significant inpatient and outpatient clinical responsibilities. She was the first woman chair of the Department of Medicine. Previously, Amy served as medical director of hospital operations for Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester.

Additionally, she was president of the Staff, Mayo Clinic Officers and Councilors. She received the Doctor’s Mayo Society Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 for her contributions to improving the care of patients, enhancing the practice, and championing the career development of all physician staff. Externally, Dr. Williams served on the board of directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine. She also participated in an Association of Professors of Medicine’s initiative to address sexual harassment in medicine. She has served as president of Women in Nephrology for two terms and on numerous task forces and boards for the American Society of Nephrology.

Dr. Mark Larson is a Consultant in Gastroenterology at Mayo Clinic, and has enjoyed active participation in all three Mayo Shields: clinical practice, research, and education. He has served as the Medical Director of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and since 2015 has been the Medical Director of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. His areas of special interest and clinical expertise are advanced interventional endoscopy procedures, and malignant and pre-malignant gastrointestinal conditions.

Mark’s volunteer activities have included medical mission experiences in Papua New Guinea and Honduras, serving two terms as Church Council President of Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, and currently is in his 6^th year as a member of the Luther College Board of Regents.  Mark and Amy continue to host the Annual Fall Event for the Jeremiah Program at their home outside of Rochester.

In their spare time, Mark and Amy spend a lot of time landscaping, gardening and maintaining their property which includes an apple orchard. Although their two daughters, Eliza and Hanna, now reside in Chicago and Seattle, their home continues to be filled with the shenanigans brought forth by a series of Labrador retrievers.