Linda and Floyd Taliaferro: Cultural Storytelling and Sustainable Agriculture Are the Core Drivers of Modern Food Entrepreneurship

As a part of our series about lessons from Thriving Power Couples, I had the pleasure of interviewing Linda and Floyd Taliaferro.

Linda and Floyd Taliaferro are the CEO and CFO of H3irloom Food Group and owners of The Sinclair. H3irloom Food Group is a 100% Black-owned company that tells the story of the Black experience through the lens of food, and The Sinclair is a private events space and catering company. At H3irloom, they work alongside partners and renowned chefs David and Tonya Thomas to uplift the Black food narrative through ticketed dining experiences, catering, pop-ups, sustainable farming initiatives, and the award-winning H3 product line. They work daily to provide a deeply personal approach to the Black food experience that’s rooted in history and culture. Linda and Floyd currently live in Baltimore with their three children Louii, Maisyn, & Preaux.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you two to your respective career paths?

FLOYD: We have always been lovers of food, so we had thought about opening a restaurant. But that dream turned into something so much more. We’re the founders and partners of H3irloom Food Group, a 100% black owned company that shines a light on Black history through food, and owners of The Sinclair, a private event space in Baltimore, MD. A food group that produces one-of-a-kind hosted dining experiences and pop-ups alongside important historical recipe research, sustainable farming initiatives, and storytelling was not necessarily our intention, but something that happened along the way. We believe this is how some of the best things come to fruition — you think you’re doing one thing, and then you realize you’re being pulled in a completely different direction.

LINDA: We did know that we wanted to own a venue. We had dabbled in events years ago, and came across the opportunity to purchase a 56,000 square foot building. We have always loved hosting people and knew that was how we were going to utilize the space. We have always been close friends with David and Tonya Thomas (now our Executive Chefs and Partners in H3irloom) and they were leaving their restaurant, Ida B’s, at the time, so it just made sense. They immediately got on board, and it was such a natural development. We have been rocking and rolling ever since establishing H3irloom in 2020.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you two got married?

LINDA: The most interesting and impactful thing we’ve learned since starting our business is a deepened appreciation for understanding Black foodways, the Black food narrative, agriculture, proprietorship, and that whole cycle. We have always been foodies, spending our time and energy going to restaurants and traveling, but now food has a whole new meaning. Over time, we, as a couple, have grown a new appreciation for the stories behind the food. This has really driven us and the business decisions that we make, like purchasing 68-acres of farmland to develop our newest project, Gabriel Fields (more on that later). It’s expanding upon the idea of the being able to control our food systems and the full process from seed to plate. Even though we are not farmers, their work and contributions are immensely important to us. We care about where our food comes from and what it’s doing to the land. We are mindful of sustainability, how it affects our foodways, worker conditions, and fair wages. It’s important to take care of the food systems and all the people that are part of it.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

FLOYD: I think mistakes are subjective. What someone might see as a mistake today may just be the right decision happening at the right time. We have an inside joke with our partners that the biggest “mistake” we made was asking Linda to become the Chief Executive Officer of H3irloom Food Group. I say this because she had no previous experience in the industry, and she didn’t have a strong desire to lead a food organization at all. If any other company was hiring someone to be a CEO and a person like her were to walk in the door, they’d take a pass on her fast. And if they did hire her, they would do so being prepared to explain that hiring “mistake”. But, having her on board wasn’t a mistake at all. All of her experience in organizational leadership and her ability to execute a vision is what really created an environment for H3irloom to thrive. She took what she had learned from past experiences and applied it to a new field. We took that “mistake” and learned that everyone shouldn’t be pigeon-holed into one thing. And we take that approach with our staff, as well. If someone wants to raise their hand for something else but doesn’t necessarily have the resume to back it up? Well, let’s give them an opportunity to show us what they can do. It’s about allowing the space for perspectives to change for the staff member, and for the organization too.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

LINDA: We’re one of very few food organizations that focuses not only on sustainability and maintaining the food system as a whole, but how it impacts and influences the Black community. We take a holistic approach to food, telling the history and story of the local agriculture, farmers, fishermen, and ingredients we create from. We prioritize maintaining that story and the integrity of it.

FLOYD: But our company is not just about the food, it’s about the people behind the food — our team and the environment we’ve created. From both the client experience and our staff experience, we don’t cut any corners. We believe in providing a healthy environment where people can grow.

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

FLOYD: We’ve got a super exciting new project in the works, Gabriel Fields, a sustainable farm and education center located on 68-acres in Baltimore County, MD. We’re working in an industry that’s bigger than ourselves. It’s not just about the food we put on the plate, but how the food got there. We knew we wanted to be a part of that process, the process of agriculture and growing our own ingredients. We’ve partnered with a Black farmer from the Baltimore Farm Alliance with a wealth of experience to help develop the plan for the farmland. Chefs David & Tonya’s depth of knowledge of Maryland’s foodways will guide what we grow, including indigenous crops and ingredients significant to the Black food story. Having an engineering background, I’m fascinated by the ability to directly influence the quality, flavors, and desired outcomes of ingredients through certain techniques and approaches. We want to pay reverence and educate our community, but also create sustainably raised and organic food that’s high in quality and flavor.

LINDA: We knew that we always wanted a farm. Being a part of the land is really important for us. Especially with our kids, we want to know where our food is coming from and that what we’re feeding them is not full of genetically modified ingredients or chemicals. We want to produce authentic ingredients with minimum intervention, utilizing sustainability practices from our ancestors, like heirloom seed saving and animal husbandry. There is no American food without Black people and we think it’s important to have a Black owned farm to tell these stories. It’s important for people to be able to visit it and experience it. And that’s exactly what Gabriel Fields is about, creating a community and connecting people to the land and where our food comes from. The name itself was a result of an internet search rabbit hole I went on one night reading the story of a boy, Gabriel Hall, from Calvert County, MD, that escaped slavery during the War of 1812 by taking up arms for the British in exchange for his freedom. We want to honor our ancestors and create something special that will last for generations to come. We hope to host our first event at Gabriel Fields this fall, 2023, which will be the first of many farm-to-table dinners and farmers markets to come.

What advice would you give to other CEOs or founders to help their employees to thrive?

FLOYD: Easy — have a heart.

LINDA: In practical terms, we always say it all goes back to goals. I think a lot of people think goals are only about performance and are used to evaluate their staff and team. But in reality, having goals as a team that are interdependent is really important, as they will contribute to the larger goal of the organization. If your team doesn’t see the connection of what they do on a day-to-day basis to the larger organization goal, you’re missing the mark. You have to have that level of teamwork to understand that you’re all working towards the same goal.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

FLOYD: This really is chapter two or three for us, and I have to say that we would not be where we are today without Linda. Nothing would look like it does today without her. H3irloom Food Group would not have our incredible dining experiences or the H3 Hot Sauce line, we wouldn’t have the event participation or brand recognition, or any of it without her. Her high standards and thoughtfulness for our work have forged the trajectory for our business.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

LINDA: This is an important part for us. Defining what ‘goodness means’, which for me means honoring your gift and treating people with humanity. When you talk about goodness and owning a business, a lot of people think goodness doesn’t exist in business. But we practice what we preach. We make sure our staff is well taken care of, everyday but also when they go through hardships. We make sure they have what they need to thrive, not just thrive at work, but thrive outside of these four walls. How we extend this to every person we touch is important to us.

What are the “5 Things You Need To Thrive As A Couple”? Please share a story or example for each.

Constant communication — Thoughts, ideas, and dreams all change over time. Each individual within the couple is growing and evolving. As your partner is evolving, it is important to understand their perspective and stay in alignment with each other.

Teamwork — Make sure that your teammate is good, consistently. Do proactive check-ins on how they are feeling and how you can support them. We each have that responsibility to the other.

Self-care — Take vacations and time away together. Look, life is stressful, especially when you have kids and own a business together. Taking time to recharge is a must!

Friendship — Be friends with each other. When you like the person, you respect them, and there’s a level of trust there. When you’re in business together, things can get tense at times, but we need to make sure we’re cool after it all.

Boundaries — There’s a difference between what happens in the business vs. what happens with us. There has to be an established boundary between the time we are working and the time when we are not working.

You are people of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

FLOYD: There are a lot of people in the world that are hungry and need food. Even in Baltimore alone, there are food deserts with no supermarkets or fresh produce. I think providing food and water to people in need would instill the most overarching good. That’s what we’re trying to do with Gabriel Fields, ensuring that people have access to proper food. Once you help someone, that inspires them to help others.

LINDA: Having been a former education professional, understanding psychology and human development has always been important to me. I often think about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a model for understanding motivations and human behaviors; and if I could inspire one movement, it would be to ensure that every person’s basic needs were met, meaning food, water, shelter, and so on up to self-actualization. This is what drives the work that we do — making sure that people have access. People can’t live out their full potentials unless they have their basic needs met. I would like to inspire people to understand that we could solve a lot of the world’s problems if all people could be equipped with the base needs. We could see so much good in the world.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

FLOYD: These are the words I tell our children every morning: “Kind words. Appropriate Actions. Listening Ears”. You will not go wrong if you can hold these true.

LINDA: Know who you are as a person and hold yourself accountable for your growth and your own path. There’s nothing worse than living your life according to who others want you to be, whether that’s family members, friends, or even cultural expectations. I’m half Black, half Korean. In the way that I grew up, it wasn’t expected that I would go on to get a college education, have a career, and build a life outside of my immediate family. My choices and path in life often created tension with my family, but I didn’t let these cultural beliefs or traditions influence my decisions.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them

FLOYD: Mine would definitely be Dr. Claud Anderson. In his book, PowerNomics, he discusses myths and illusions of Black progress. He’s a genius and I would love to talk to him about what he’s seen in his time being a human being on this earth. I would want his thoughts on how we should utilize the gifts that we have and how we should use them to better help our community.

LINDA: Joanna Gaines. What she’s done for Magnolia in the space of home improvement, and how she expanded the business to an entire world with an intentional and holistic approach to home, life, farming, and living. I would love to talk to her about how she scaled her business and the parallels of working with your husband. Plus, she is half Korean, just like me. She is so inspirational.

How can our readers follow your work online?

@h3irloom_baltimore

@thesinclairbaltimore

GabrielFields.com

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.