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Lance Smith has owned a food service business for nearly three years, but on Monday, his new brick-and-mortar location took off at the Augusta Regional Airport. Smith owns Bearded Chef, which operates a local food truck that specializes in smash burgers and provides both catering and private chef services. He officially launched the business in January 2020. Smith’s airport restaurant, located in the baggage claim area, specializes in soul food, such as fried chicken, fried cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. “We rotate specialty items,” he said. “We bring in a

Andrew Siders was born and raised in Aiken, served in the Marines, and owned or worked for seven businesses in the area including Brindles in the Aiken Mall, the Savannah River Site, and insurance agencies in Augusta and Aiken, but he got tired of sitting behind a desk. “People would ask me what I’m going to do next, and every day there’s something new. It’s been an adventure,” says Siders. Maybe he has found his niche. Last year, he bought Dave’s Grill and Grocery. The building which served as a

Tawanda Higgs-Harris wants to bring a new type of business to south Augusta, which is why she’s launching her own bakery and catering company in that part of town. Higgs-Harris plans to celebrate the grand opening of Infinite Delights Baking, Catering & Event Space at 2906 Peach Orchard Road, the former home of The Philly Cheesesteak Factory, in early January. She will serve not only desserts, such as cakes, pies, cupcakes, and cookies but also breakfast and lunch items, including omelets, bacon, hamburgers, and chicken wings. Higgs-Harris, who gives up