A retired Florida regulation enforcement officer who as soon as defused bombs is now baking treats and grinding espresso for purchasers.
Chris Smith, 56, and his spouse opened Floor Ops Roastery + Bakehouse in Tallahassee, Florida, in Nov. 2023.
Earlier than doing so, Smith was a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff’s Workplace, working as a member of the SWAT staff after which with the bomb squad.
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He retired a couple of months earlier than the grand opening — however what seemed to be a drastic profession change was extra acquainted than it could have appeared.
“It all comes back to serving people and being there for the community,” Smith informed Fox Information Digital. (See the video on the high of this text.)
Chris Smith labored with the SWAT staff and bomb squad on the Leon County Sheriff’s Workplace in Tallahassee, Florida. Now he is a enterprise proprietor, baking treats and grinding espresso for his clients. (Shannon Smith)
“Opening Ground Ops was just another way of providing a service to the community.”
Service has been on the forefront of Smith’s work for a lot of his grownup life.
He spent 4 years in the U.S. Navy earlier than attending Florida State College on the GI Invoice. He grew to become a deputy in 2010 and has additionally labored as a volunteer firefighter.
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However his spouse, Shannon Smith, stated one in all her husband’s biggest accomplishments was on the day she met him in 2021.
“He truly got here to talk some sense into my adopted son, who had gotten in hassle in class,” Shannon informed Fox Information Digital.
Smith, at proper, gave a pep discuss to the adopted son of this then-future spouse a number of years in the past — one thing she nonetheless appreciates right this moment, she stated. (Shannon Smith)
On the time, Shannon Smith was a single mom. A buddy really useful Chris Smith pay them a go to.
Earlier than chatting with the younger son, Smith confirmed up and introduced her with a paper plate of meals coated in foil.
“Then I ate this thing [in the foil], and it was amazing,” Shannon stated. “I never had anything like it before.”
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A number of days later, Smith despatched her a textual content that he was making banana pudding for the bomb squad — and requested if he may deliver some to her.
“At that point I knew,” Shannon Smith stated. The couple have been married a yr later.
As for the deal with Smith introduced her the day they met, it turned out to be a future menu merchandise at Floor Ops.
On the left, the baked items Chris Smith gave to his then-future spouse on the day they met. That pastry finally grew to become the Hiya Cake, on the proper, on the menu at Floor Ops in Florida. (Shannon Smith)
Smith did not have a reputation for it then, however the Hiya Cake grew to become “one of our most popular items because it’s how we said hello,” stated Shannon Smith.
Love of household, nation
Floor Ops is each a bakery and a espresso store that shares a love of nation.
A lot of its common roasts have patriotic names, such because the Bravo Zulu mix with chocolate and toffee; Commander’s Selection hazelnut taste with a contact of fruit; Depth Cost espresso mix; Lacking in Motion for its decaffeinated brew; and Conflict Horse Southern Pecan mix.
“We do have a very good time – and the customers love it.”
“A lot of the latte names do follow the military” as nicely, Smith stated.
“So, we’ve got the Roger That, we’ve got the Bunker Buster and others. We do have a very good time – and the customers love it.”
Inside Floor Ops can also be a framed {photograph} of Smith’s cousin, Shannon Kent, a Navy cryptologist who was killed in a 2019 suicide bomb assault in Syria.
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Her husband, Joe Kent, was not too long ago named director of the Nationwide Counterterrorism Middle.
All of the meals is baked from scratch day by day, from the rolls and popovers to the cookies and truffles. Smith does not have a culinary background, so he depends on household recipes and loads of trial and error.
Smith has discovered a brand new profession within the espresso and baking worlds. (Shannon Smith)
“I love food and I love sampling food,” Smith stated. “I love traveling for food, and I love trying to recreate what I’ve eaten. And I eat like I’m a 7-year-old, too, as my wife says.”
Shannon Smith stated her husband “saved a lot” and slowly started shopping for gear that he would retailer away as a result of he “had the idea in his heart” of at some point opening his personal place.
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His work requires a number of sacrifice and comes with challenges, she stated.
“Running a business is hard,” she stated. “I mean, law enforcement is hard, but running a business is a different kind of hard.”
That features waking up earlier than dawn day by day.
Chris Smith and Shannon Smith fell in love when he was nonetheless a deputy. “Law enforcement is hard, but running a business is a different kind of hard.” (Shannon Smith)
“I would have to say getting up early in the morning to bake is a lot more difficult than having to go take care of bombs,” Smith stated.
“But I do miss the guys.”
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Smith hasn’t totally retired from his life in regulation enforcement, it seems.
“He did go back into the reserves – because he can’t help himself,” stated his spouse.
