Navy veteran, former Florida aide finds coffee, family and new ways to serve
Retired Florida law enforcement officers who once softened bombs are now dealing with it Grinded coffee For customers.
Chris Smith, 56, and his wife opened the ground Ops Roastery + Bakehouse in Tallahassee, Florida in November 2023.
Prior to doing so, Smith was a deputy of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, working as a member of the SWAT team and with the Bomb Squad.
Food sold at gas stations explodes into health-focused restaurant chains
He retired a few months before the grand opening, but what appeared to be a dramatic career change was more familiar than it seemed.
“It’s all coming back to being there for the people and being there for the community,” Smith told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Chris Smith worked with the SWAT team and the bomb squad at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office in Tallahassee, Florida. He is now a business owner and shatters coffee for his clients. (Shannon Smith)
“Opening the Ground Ops was another way of serving the community.”
Service was at the forefront of Smith’s work for much of his adult life.
He spent four years US Navy Before attending Florida State University under the GI bill. He became an agent in 2010 and also works as a volunteer firefighter.
After a health crisis, mothers learn to cook and eat “a little less toxic” in the kitchen
However, his wife, Shannon Smith, said that one of her husband’s greatest achievements was the day she met him in 2021.
“He actually started to speak some kind of feeling. My adoptive childI had trouble at school,” Shannon told Fox News Digital.
Smith on the right told Pep’s story to his then-wife’s adopted son a few years ago. She said she is grateful today. (Shannon Smith)
At the time, Shannon Smith was a single mother. A friend recommended Chris Smith to pay them for a visit.
Before talking to her young son, Smith appears and tells her. Food paper board Covered with foil.
“Then I ate this (with foil) and it was amazing,” Shannon said. “I hadn’t had anything like that before.”
The biggest diet mistakes Americans make, says Celebrity Chef
A few days later, Smith sent her the text he had been making. Banana pudding For the bomb squad – and asked if he could bring some to her.
“I knew at that point,” Shannon Smith said. The couple got married a year later.
As for the treat that Smith brought her the day they met, it was Future menu items With Ground Ops.
On the left, I handed it to my then wife the day baked goods Chris Smith met. The pastry ended up being a Hello Cake on the right on the menu at FL Ground Opes. (Shannon Smith)
Although Smith didn’t have that name, the Hello Cake “has become one of our most popular items, because that’s how we said hello,” Shannon Smith said.
Love for family and country
Both ground operations Bakery And a coffee shop that shares its love for the country.
Many of its popular roasts come with patriotic names, such as Bravo Zulu Blend and Chocolate and Toffee. The hazelnut flavor chosen by the commander is a touch of fruit. Depth-recharged espresso blend. It doesn’t work due to caffeinated brewing. Warhorse Southern Pecan Blend.
“We have a really good time. Our customers love it.”
“Many of the Latte names follow the military,” Smith said.
“So, I have Roger who has bunkerbusters and stuff. He’s having a really good time. The customers love it.”
The Inside Ground Ops is also a framed photo of Smith’s cousin Shannon Kent. Shannon Kent is a naval cryptographer who was killed in the 2019 suicide bombing attack.
Click here to sign up for our Lifestyle Newsletter
Her husband, Joe Kent, was recently appointed director of the National Center for Counterterrorism.
All foods are baked from scratch every day, from rolls and popovers to cookies and cakes. Smith has no background in cooking, so he relies on him. Family recipes And a lot of trial and error.
Smith has found a new career in the world of coffee and baking. (Shannon Smith)
“I love food and I love sampling food,” Smith said. “I love you Travel for foodand I love trying to replicate what I ate. And, as my wife says, I eat like I was 7 years old too. ”
Shannon Smith slowly began purchasing the equipment he stores because her husband said he had “saved a lot” and he “had an idea in his mind” to open up his place.
For lifestyle articles, please visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle
His work requires a lot of sacrifice and challenges, she said.
“Running a business is difficult,” she said. “So law enforcement is difficult, but running a business is a different kind of difficult.”
That includes waking up every day before sunrise.
Chris Smith and Shannon Smith fell in love when he was still a lieutenant. “Law enforcement is difficult, but running a business is a different kind of difficult.” (Shannon Smith)
“I have to say that getting up early in the morning and burning it is much more difficult than having to look after the bomb,” Smith said.
“But I miss everyone.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
Smith has not retired completely from living in law enforcement.
“He couldn’t help himself, so he returned to the sanctuary,” his wife said.