With a string of successful restaurants nationwide, a flourishing family and accolades from top business publications, Cameron Mitchell seems to have it all. But his journey to success was far from easy. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Mitchell struggled as a teen as his parents endured a long, bitter divorce. “I was ranked 592 out of a class of 597 in high school, so there were only five people behind me and my GP was a 1.05,” he recalls. “I still got voted senior class president and most likely to succeed and become president but I was also the most absent. I always said I had the can do but I didn’t have the will do.”
After dropping out of high school and living on the streets for five months as a runaway, he came back to school in his junior year and got a job washing dishes in a steakhouse. One Friday in February, Mitchell recalls the restaurant being filled with about 1,000 people between lunch and dinner. “The bar was just packed, there was crazy, crazy music and I was a cook earning $4.50 an hour. It was 4pm and there was complete pandemonium in the kitchen. I looked across the kitchen, and I thought to myself, ‘I just love this.’” he remembers. “I always knew I would be going to college and I always thought I would be successful, but I didn't know what I wanted to do. But that night, it hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew I wanted to be in the restaurant business for the rest of my life.”
He went home and wrote out his goals—which included becoming an executive chef by age 23, a general manager by 24, a regional manager by 26, a vice president of operations by 30 and the president of a restaurant company by age 35. “I woke my mom up at 1am and told her my goals,” he shares. “Suddenly I was no longer working for the man I was working for myself and my career and my future.” Mitchell applied to the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York (CIA) and was turned away initially because of his grades, but he finally got in and succeeded, becoming the youngest ever alumni board chair and the second largest alumni donor at the school. And perhaps the greatest irony of all—is that the boy who failed English three times in high school ended up marrying a high school English teacher.
With a giving heart today, Mitchell is very philanthropic with his time, talent and treasure, supporting the United Way, various hospitals and educational institutions, most recently partnering with the Community Foundation of Sarasota to support Hurricane Milton recovery efforts. “People don't give much away, or they wait to do it when they die. I want to do it today because I just love taking care of people,” he says. “I want to make as much money as I possibly can. The more money I make the more money I can give away. And that really sums it up.”
Here in Sarasota, the Cameron Mitchell Restaurant group (CMR) is pleased to announce its first local restaurant and 19th location for its Ocean Prime brand located in the heart of The Quay Sarasota—a 14-acre waterfront development that merges the scenic marina setting with luxury residences, upscale shopping and premier culinary experiences. "We are thrilled to bring our extraordinary Ocean Prime dining experience to Sarasota," says Mitchell. “With our exceptional menu, vibrant atmosphere, and dedication to genuine hospitality, Ocean Prime Sarasota promises to be a premier dining destination for residents and visitors of The Quay."

OCEAN PRIME COMBINES A SOPHISTICATED MENU OF SEAFOOD, PRIME STEAKS AND HANDCRAFTED COCKTAILS WITH BREATHTAKING VIEWS AND WORLD-CLASS HOSPITALITY. IMAGE COURTESY OF OCEAN PRIME.

OCEAN PRIME SARASOTA, 501 QUAY COMMONS, SARASOTA, OCEAN-PRIME.COM