Meet Cam Floyd

We recently connected with Cam Floyd and have shared our conversation below.

Cam, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Truthfully, I never found my purpose in the culinary industry alone. At the time of needing to find work, I was a single father, still in high school, and my life was not going in the direction it needed to raise a child. I was 17 years old when I rented my first house, but before then, I lived with my older brother for majority of my teenage years. I was not raised by my parents and my brother Scott was the only person there for me in my life at the time. I finally moved out of his house and into my own and just needed a job. My first job was on a horse farm when I was 12, at Blue Moon Stables in Newnan, Georgia. I knew that I had work ethic since then and could find sustainable revenue in any career field I tried my hand at. So, that’s what I did. I applied for over 40 jobs in a variety of fields from maintenance technician jobs, hotels, landscaping, hospital janitorial job, restaurants in Atlanta, etc. I even applied with the local schools to work in the lunchroom. My intense focus was just finding any source of income that was legal and honest. For a few months of job searching, multiple interviews, being told by countless companies and even fine dining chefs in Atlanta that I would never work in the industry. Clearly, I had no experience and just wanted to be provided a chance. Fortunately, the only person that afforded me an opportunity was Bob Chanady at Cracker Barrel in Newnan, Georgia. I remember getting the phone call informing me that I received the job as a dishwasher there. This achievement was the most prideful accomplishment for me at the time and I immediately went to Walmart, purchased a blue oxford button down shirt, a pair of black dickie pants, and black work boots. Just to show up on my first day as a dishwasher, I ironed my pants, my shirt, and have always lived by the saying my grandfather told me as he dropped me off on my first day there which was, “it’s ok that you are a dishwasher, just make sure you’re the best damn dishwasher there and you will always have a job”. From there, I was continuously promoted to different positions over my four-year tenure in corporate and discovered that I was actually good at cooking, I just needed to learn the culinary knowledge. To this day I still say “Be the best damn dishwasher today” to myself in whatever I am doing to remind myself that I still have to show up and earn my position every day. The day that I stop trying to be better than yesterday will be the day I chance losing everything. Finding my purpose can be attributed to many things not just one significant life event. From now being relied on by my wife and two boys, to working with our farmers, building relationships with my staff and chefs, or just having a reputation as a decent human being, my purpose is driven by my culinary career, but determined by how many people I positively affect along the way.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I was born and raised in Newnan, GA and currently reside in Douglas County. I am the Food & Beverage Liaison for Hsu Hospitality, which is a restaurant group that supports multiple restaurants in Atlanta, and a partner in Sweet Auburn Barbecue in Atlanta and Mcdonough, Georgia.

Five years ago, myself and my wife, Joni Floyd, purchased a home in Winston, Ga. Joni Floyd, whom is the General Manager of the Farmhouse in Serenbe, has worked there for the past 14 years. Joni Floyd also has her degree in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech where she developed prosthetic limbs, studied, and tutored calculus and trigonometry at Ga Tech, as well as studies in cell regeneration. We have two boys, Trey, who is thirteen years old, and Jayden, who is eleven years old.

I am also extremely involved with the West Georgia Community. In May 2021, myself a business partner, Tonya Freeman, started a nonprofit called MAES Farmer’s Market – https://www.maesfrmmkt.com. Currently, we support the agriculture programs at schools in our community to host West Georgia’s largest and most diverse farmer’s market where we bring in over 100 vendors consisting of small, local farmers and small businesses. This years’ farmer’s market also hosted over 70 farmers, 180 vendor lots filled, a rabbit show hosted by The Southeast Silver Fox Rabbit Breeders Club and Club President Hannah Yost-Ramirez, a mechanical bull riding contest by Exodus Ranch, and even a live concert by Michael KMusic! My goal is to bring the community together, support the community of small businesses and farmers, and support all schools in the county by getting gardens and farms in all schools. All vendor fee and raffle proceeds are donated to the school’s Agriculture Program and to the farm at the school. Our next MAES Farmer’s Market date is set for May 17, 2025
The agriculture program at Mason Creek, the previous beneficiary of MFM, is a program that teaches children sustainability and the importance of farm to table programs in the community. The event in May 2021, raised over $2,000 and afforded the school the ability to purchase more enclosures for livestock at the school, rebuild the raised garden beds, and purchase DNA test kits for the Turkeys and Black Australorp Chickens at the school. Due to this, 5th graders now have the ability to study DNA of these animals, and all students can work the farm and study the growth of produce instead sitting in front of screens during afterschool programs. Since then, Tonya and I have hosted four more farmer markets for schools in our area, donating over $12,000.
Another grand achievement is that I recently partnered with Bakers Creek Heirloom Seed Company, and they donated over $1800 worth of rare, heirloom seeds for the school to have a full heirloom garden for the students to study and grow. They are now sponsors and supporters of MAESFRMMKT each year and have donated over $5,000 worth of seeds in total.

I am the Chairman of The Young Farmer’s & Ranchers Committee of Douglas County, GFB State Committee Chairman of the 3rd District, and is an active Board Member of The Georgia Farm Bureau. I am also entertaining more of the legislative side to farming and my goal is to get more involved with the legislative process and I think this is a great avenue for my involvement and ability to impact the community in a positive way. I believe being the voice for agriculture in this way can be a more fruitful and responsible approach. Going to Washington, D.C. the last two years and meeting with senators and congressmen has really provided a different perspective on the challenges our farmers face from the legislative arena.

Recently, I launched the Farmer Partner Organization, which is an organization created to bring awareness of our local farmers, give them a spotlight, and also connect them with local chefs that want to support them. Any restaurants with our “FP” logo on their menu or website will provide a discount for a farmer showing an “FP” ID card. The goal is to convince farmers to dine in the restaurants that are actually using their product. But I also have much larger plans like filming interviews with our farmers with segments called “Crossing Paths” and even creating a mental health sector where we will send therapists to farms to do what I call a “Farmer Check In”. Just to give them an opportunity to reach out for help should they need it. We have also launched a filmed interview series called “Crossing Paths” as well as entered a partnership with Maker’s Mark Bourbon. In these interviews with farmers and anyone contributing to agriculture, we discuss some of the challenges they face and also want the public to get to know them better. You can find our Farmer Partner videos on TikTok and Instagram.

I continuously visits small farms in Georgia and find ways to support them as much as I can. From buying produce and utilizing their product for the restaurants, to meeting with small businesses and providing consultation on how to improve profits, create profitable business models, decide on what livestock to invest in, and even visiting farms to teach them how to process their own animals, I am extremely dedicated to seeing the community thrive.

I also host a “Harvest Day” a few times per year. At these processing days, I invite my culinary team along with the YF&R team to learn how to process animals on the farm and experience the daily life of a famer.

The other “bigger picture” for these harvest days is the ability for some many to make connections with a diverse group of individuals they would normally never meet in their personal day to day. For my chefs, they will forever remember these relationships on the farm and when they grow with us, or have restaurants of their own, they will have the connections with farmers needed to keep the farmer – chef relationship alive. I can only hope my chefs will continue my efforts of supporting local and I think the only way I can do that is facilitate those relationships now, early in their careers. There’s also nothing like being covered in mud and blood, and then sitting around a fire enjoying wine to create memories and build camaraderie.

For my career, I worked as a chef at Farmhouse in Serenbe, Local Three Kitchen & Bar, Lure in Midtown Atlanta, and also have traveled to Merida, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula to learn under Paco Hidalgo and Chef Roberto Solis at his restaurant, Nectar. In my tenure there, I refined my craft with the authenticity of Mexican cuisine. Working in Mexico was absolutely the most humbling experience in my life. Being with the locals there can surely give you a new perspective on not taking things for granted. I worked directly with chef Paco Hidalgo to curate a menu for Estrella Atlanta, the restaurant I later returned to open and serve as the chef of Estrella in Atlanta, Ga. This was my first restaurant opening. The analytical and data driven teachings from Charles Fricke, of Sweet Auburn Barbecue, are what afforded me the ability to open the restaurant. After learning Yucatecan cuisine, I was offered a position as the chef de cuisine of one of the most well-known restaurants in Atlanta, Iberian Pig in Decatur, GA.
I worked directly with John Castellucci at Iberian Pig and eventually took over as the chef for John to remove himself and open Iberian Pig Buckhead. Upon beginning my career there, my wife Joni and I traveled to Barcelona and Madrid, Spain, to learn and experience Spanish cuisine, experience farming and local agriculture, and further assist my knowledge of the wine and cuisine’s culture there. I returned to Iberian Pig with a new mindset of how to translate Spanish cuisine to what Atlanteans crave. Being a part of the Iberian Pig and the Castellucci Group family had to be the most memorable and meaningful times of my life. I will forever miss that company.

Now, I am currently the main operator at Gezzos Cantina in Atlanta and oversee multiple operations/employees and am hoping to continue opening more restaurants in the future. My focus is getting more farmer’s product to the city and continuing to develop business models around the needs of the farmers. Another important mission for me is informing the public that there are countless professions directly tied to agriculture, not just the farmers.

From truck drivers, train engineers, packaging warehouse employees, seed salesman, real estate agents, lawyers, financial advisors, avian scientist, and more can all play a role in agriculture and be a voice for our farmers. The Georgia Farm Bureau is one of the most diverse organizations focusing on agriculture, it just takes the step forward of involvement to see that.
My goal is to remain humble and be better than I was yesterday. Everyone has a story and reason for striving to be better. As a chef, I want to give people the same chance at life as I was given years ago. I now have that ability to do that. As a chef, it is my responsibility to take care of, teach, mold, and grow each one of my employees. My family.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say my three skills are:
– As a leader, always give your people a voice in the operation and never surround weak leaders with strong people. Be patient and find the right leaders your team deserves.
– Live as if you want to have the biggest funeral ever. Make lasting impressions, be honest even when you shouldn’t be, be kind, be unemotional, be stoic and rational, and never let uncontrollable situations determine your character.
– Don’t be afraid to be neutral in life and your views. In today’s society, you have to “pick a side”. Be it politics, religion, economy, etc. I have found that by being neutral and respectful of other’s walks of life and experiences allows you to see others for who they truly are. Some of my most trusted friends are the ones that do not live like I do or think like I do. I always say, “if my life shall align with your beliefs and values, I will gladly provide you the bill for my mortgage payment”.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

I would have to say the most impactful thing my parents did for me was not being parents at all. My father was never there, and I was removed from my biological mother’s home at a very young age. What this did was teach me many life lessons. Lessons such as:
– I don’t need to rely on someone to be successful
– I don’t need to rely on someone to release my emotions to
– I don’t need a family system to tell me what to be or how to create my morals. Life’s challenges have allowed me to adapt and be rational or weary of what consequences may come of any actions.
– I don’t fret or concern myself with the loss of those close to me. I have discovered a way to be satisfied with myself. What this has done is allowed me the ability to adopt the mentality of, “people are in my life because they want to be, but should they ever choose not to be, I will be just fine”. There’s a beautiful feeling of knowing you can be financially, mentally, and physically fine on your own and not dependent on someone else.