Pictured: Cameron Mitchell is thrilled to bring his dining experience to Sarasota with Ocean Prime. Photo courtesy of Cameron Mitchell.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants' (CMR) Ocean Prime brand is pleased to announce its first Sarasota restaurant and 19th location, which will be located in the heart of The Quay Sarasota, a 14-acre waterfront development that merges the scenic waterfront marina setting with luxury residences, upscale shopping, and premier culinary experiences.

Cameron Mitchell, Founder and CEO of CMR came from humble beginnings. 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--I just 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 says. “I always knew I would be going to college and I always thought I would be successful, but 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.”

Fast forwad to today, Mitchell owns a string of successful restaurants nationwide,  a home in Columbus, Ohio and one in Siesta Key. His familiy is flourishing and he has received accolades from top business publications around the world. With all this success, however, he still manages to make it a priority to help others.

The Ocean Prime brand is committed to the growth of the communities in which they do business. In addition to their continuous philanthropic efforts, it is their mission to provide as much support as possible to a wide variety of schools, hospitals, non-profit groups and community organizations with a particular focus on families and children, education, health, safety and hunger. Mitchell himself, is very philanthropic with his time, talent and treasure, supporting the United Way, amongst other nonprofits, and 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.”

Ocean Prime will open late December. To learn more, visit ocean-prime.com.

Pictured: Cameron Mitchell is thrilled to bring his dining experience to Sarasota with Ocean Prime. Photo courtesy of Cameron Mitchell.