In 2015, Juliana began traveling to major cities for work regularly. Noticing the emergence of boutique donut shops, she hinted to Ian that they might start a pop-up at local farmers' markets and craft fairs. During the same timeframe, Ian had been studying how to smoke meats, a blind spot in his culinary training, so an area of serious curiosity. Juliana said, "Donuts." Ian said, "BBQ." They went back and forth, and finally said, "What if we do both?!"

The pop-up evolved into a food truck with a full BBQ catering kitchen and smokehouse. Voted one of Orlando's 'Top 3 Food Trucks,' it gained popularity roaming around Central Florida before setting up residency at À La Cart.

The menu is informed by Ian's travels after high school as a 19-year-old with nothing but his Yamaha Virago motorcycle and a road map.

With no route planned, he left Orlando, stopping at roadside BBQ joints in Texas, Tennessee, and the Carolinas. For ten months, he lived in Comfort, Texas, where his love for low and slow BBQ grew. His journey eventually led him to New York, where he enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and became a High-Honors graduate.

In February 2023, Smoke & Donuts® officially opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Orlando's Milk District.