Today we’d like to introduce you to Cam Floyd.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Cam Floyd, and I am currently involved in a variety of projects/businesses. I have worked in a variety of places and ran multiple restaurants in Atlanta. From traveling to and working in Merida, Mexico, learning from Chef Paco Hidalgo and Chef Roberto Solis at his restaurant Nectar in Merida, to traveling to Barcelona and Madrid to experience Spanish Cuisine. While I was the Chef De Cuisine at Iberian Pig, I felt it important to truly understand the cuisine by traveling to Spain and educating myself. I think these travels and education have certainly shaped my view of food in a much different way and I am a big believer in “if you don’t know the food, don’t attempt it, go learn it. Learn the culture, the history, and the reasons behind that cuisine first.”
The very beginning of my career was at Cracker Barrel in Newnan, Ga. as a dishwasher. There, I met the closest friend I’ve had in this life, Charles Fricke, and to this day, he and I still run our restaurants together. After leaving Cracker Barrel, I wanted to learn the culinary world so I landed at the Farmhouse In Serenbe, where I met my wife. From there, I found my home at Local Three for years learning from Chefs Angus Daunt, Chris Hall, Todd Mussman, Jason Jimenez, and so many other great chefs.
I finally left the nest and learned under Chef Brent Banda and Kevin Grossman at Lure in Atlanta for quite some time when Charles called me to assist at Sweet Auburn. There, now 8 years ago, I found my family. I aided in growing Sweet Auburn Barbecue to two locations as the Executive Chef and Culinary Liaison/Partner. Getting a second Sweet Auburn Barbecue location open was sort of a dream come true for most of us as it was just such a symbol to us that Sweet Auburn was ready for growth. The McDonough location is presenting James Beard quality barbecue in my opinion and the pride and passion that Dave Maiolo is putting into his barbecue there is something you don’t even see from most Atlanta Barbecue restaurants. He truly cares about the product he is serving there and the experience he is providing his guest.
Currently, I am the Food & Beverage Liaison for Hsu Hospitality which helps support a small group of Atlanta restaurants. The majority of time and focus right now is spent as the Operator at Gezzos Coastal Cantina in the Upper Westside of Atlanta.
I am also the Chairman of the 3rd District State Committee for Young Farmers & Ranchers with The Georgia Farm Bureau. Our YFR team, as well as our company culinary team, hosts Harvest Days to teach farmers and chefs how to process animals. We also conduct farm builds, create business models for farmers to start their own farm operations, and even host a Homestead Series to host classes on self-sustainability. We also travel to D.C. to meet with Senators and Georgia legislators to represent Georgia Farmers and be the voice for them in so many laws and regulations that affect our farmers. The most important reason for my involvement with the Farm Bureau is the most recent “Crossing Paths” mentality. The farm bureau is an amazing community that allows so many chefs, farmers, and the population in general cross paths that would have otherwise never met.
Recently, I launched the Farmer Partner Organization focused on bridging the gap between farmers and chefs. The Farmer Partner Organization has a wide variety of goals to bring farmers back into restaurants. Farmers should be able to dine in the restaurants they sell their product to and see what these chefs are creating with their hard work and product. Restaurants that participate as Farmer Partner members and have our logo on their menu or website offer discounts to any farmer with an FP ID card. My biggest achievement will be creating an organization that shines a light on these farmers to show the public they exist. Thousands of Georgia farmers are out there, but so many do not know where to start and that’s where we help my biggest project is our Farmer’s Market Organization. In 2021, my business partner, Tonya Freeman, and I launched MAES Farmer’s Market, the largest, true farmer’s market in West Georgia with over 100 vendors and hundreds of attendees each year. Our vendor fees and raffle table revenue are donated to one school’s agriculture program each year to build farms on the school’s property. This year, we already have over 110 vendor booths filled and are prepared to host the largest farmers market we’ve ever done. We are sponsoring and donating to two schools in Douglas County this year
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In short, anything worth calling successful is not a smooth road. Nothing you create and bring life to will ever be smooth and it shouldn’t be. Learning how to overcome challenges and adapt to obstacles makes your business resilient and molds who you are as a person. I will say, the challenges I have been through in life remind me of where I was, and help me not forget where I’m going. At the same time, the life I came from allows me to understand the life so many currently are now going through, and I am grateful that my experiences can show them a way to get out and be successful as well.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently operate our Sweet Auburn Barbecues and Gezzos as the Culinary Director over our Executive Chefs. But I am also the main operator at Gezzos Coastal Cantina in Atlanta for the moment. I always strive for our company and restaurants to be much different than others and continue fighting the good fight against industry stereotypes.
We teach our chefs to not only be chefs but to learn how to run the business as a whole. We build strong connections with our culinary teams and farmers and ensure our employees can make connections for their future.
For our farmers, we focus on farm builds. Rather than a farmer coming to us, and saying “here’s what I have”, I would rather work with farmers and provide them produce list of what we sell and amounts to expect. This way, they can grow what they need, look out on their fields and instead of seeing worry and doubt in the product they have hoping they will sell it all, they can confidently look upon their fields and know there product is sold. I believe this security is what will create substantially in local farms and relationships with restaurants.
As a chef, I used to think the answer to what I specialize in is food, but over the years, I have come to find the response to that question is “I specialize in developing leaders in this industry”.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think we are in that change still from Covid. Restaurants are not willing to adapt close, but business owners have to get creative. We discovered that during covid, throwing money at employees did not increase their work ethic. We hear business owners constantly complain that “no one wants to work anymore”. Quite frankly, we never experienced that, and we still do not. We have adopted the mindset of “if no one wants to work for you, change you”.
Change your business model, and your management structure, or find ways to offer a better quality of life for your people. Traditionally, no one leaves a job for money. Financial reasons may be a motivator to take a step out, but there are always other factors that determine someone’s quality of life and reason for leaving. I think that in the coming near future, more businesses will have to shift and learn to be self-aware in their organizations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.
maesfrmmkt.com/ - Instagram: @chef_cam_floyd
- Facebook: @cameron.floyd.125
- Other: @maes_farmers_market
