Thursday is Veterans Day and Fort Smith residents can celebrate military service members from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Chaffee Crossing.

If I am dedicating a day to food touring, rest assured coffee will be part of the equation at some point, as was the case during a recent expedition to Fort Smith. The coffee at the aptly named Fort Smith Coffee Co. was so good that I went back just hours after my first visit. I will have details in a bit, but first, a quick look back at the company’s history.

Fort Smith Coffee Co. will have its third location in one of the Chaffee Crossing barracks. Owner Kaity Gould said she plans to open the store in about a year. The biggest change for this new location will be that it will have a full menu, offering breakfast, brunch, and lunch seven days a week.