“Hi there, would you like to try a sample?” You most likely have already met Larson Smith from Talkin Sweet (@talkinsweetft) as he peers out the window of his “smok’in” trailer. He has a rounded face with a wide smile and an amazing personality with a voice filled with excitement for his product. Larson, who was named after his dad, is the son of Costa Rican immigrants who instilled in him an incredible work ethic.
His mom owned beauty salons in Brooklyn, where Larson started working at the age of 10. Larson had a strong sense of his entrepreneurial mindset from an early age and eventually ran the business when his parents took trips to Costa Rica. As Larson came of age, he joined the U.S. Army as a Military Police Officer (thank you Larson for your service!). With only 30 days left to his contract, he was sent to Iraq for a six-month deployment, which turned out to be two years. It changed his life and taught him to adjust to situations with a positive attitude and thankfulness for being alive.
In 2004, Larson, now in Orlando, completed his M.P.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management. His entrepreneurial spirit kicked in again, and Larson started a podcast called Talking Sweet, which turned into Talkin Sweet Frozen Treats. The flavors he creates will speak for themselves, but you cannot imagine until you try them. Larson creates sorbets that are also alcohol infused. I tried several non-alcoholic samples since I couldn’t stop myself!! My favorite was the strawberry chocolate chip. I felt it my responsibility to graduate to a large cup of it – still wanting more.
Larson can take special orders for one or two gallons and has catered weddings, divorce parties (I’m sure that’s one for the alcohol flavors!), gender reveals, corporate functions and any occasion in between.
His goal is to never stop learning and to continue growing in absolutely everything he does from his personal life to his business life. Larson and his wife and three children live in Orlando. They love it here! Don’t miss this extremely happy business owner who absolutely loves what he does and who has the great handcrafted product to prove it. You can sample his delicious flavors at Rollin Food Trucks Rally every Tuesday night from 5-8 p.m. at Adventure Park in addition to other locations you can view on Instagram.
