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Local veteran starts a sweet, new career journey

Ground Ops Roastery AND Bakehouse
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A local veteran has started a new career journey as a small business owner, bringing more sweet and savory treats as well as roasted coffee to the Tallahassee community.

When it comes to food, veteran Chris Smith knows best. “I absolutely love food," said Smith. "I love preparing it to eat it of course."

Smith, along with his son Conner Smith, is introducing a coffee shop, Ground Ops Roastery + Bakehouse, to the local community, selling homemade sweet pastries and fresh roasted coffee. Their pastries are cinnamon roll based, offering several different flavors from lemon, to smores.

Smith and his son developed the idea to open up the clean, authentic shop after making a trip to Minneapolis, going through several practices and tests to bring back to Tallahassee.

Their clean, authentic shop has everything you need from sweet to savory.

Before becoming a small business owner, Smith served in the navy from 1986 to 1990 on the USS Independence before he began serving our community as a Leon County Sheriff's Deputy.

The Florida State graduate worked in a bank for 12 years before beginning work in law enforcement for another 12 years. “I think that was the great groundwork to start ground ops,” said Smith.

Brick and Mortar is aiming to open in December but orders can currently be made through their social media platforms at GroundOps Roastery + Bakehouse.