There’s something about a smoky scent that appeals to Barbara Bennett’s senses and soul.

Working in the barbecue business, Bennett finds the smell inescapable, sticking to her clothes, hands and hair.

But to Bennett, the scent is a sweet reminder of her family’s livelihood, looks of customer satisfaction and her roots growing up in the country of a small town in Florida.

“There’s something comforting about it,” she said.

Bennett spent 12 years as a mess-management specialist in the U.S. Navy and went to college along with her husband, Fred, to earn two-year culinary arts degrees.

Even though they’re both classically trained, the couple has built a mobile catering business in Oak Harbor centered on the Southern-style foods that were a rich part of their upbringing.

Barbara and Fred Bennett are entering their 10th year as owners of ShoNuff Foods, which has served Whidbey Island at farmers markets, festivals, weddings and other catered events since 2006.

“From day one, there was just no doubt,” Fred said of the focus on what he calls “authentic Southern goodness.”

“Because our passion is soul food, we would rather take the soul food, the barbecue and such, and really — for a lack of a better term — what we say in the South, ‘put our foot up in it’ to make sure you remember it.”

The journey has been a long one and at times a test of wills and patience.

A food business was the couple’s dream and was the most attractive option to earn a living after Barbara left the Navy in 2006.

“As a cook, especially here in the Northwest, unless you get a dream job, not too many people pay you what you’re supposed to be paid, no matter the education,” Fred said. “I got sick and tired of $10 an hour.”

Still, it’s only been in recent months that Fred hasn’t had to hold down a second job, sometimes even a third, to help provide for the family, which includes two kids, during the slow times of the year.

“This is one of the first years where we’ve been gainfully employed in the beginning of the year,” Barbara said. “Believe it or not, the catering has not been barbecue.”

ShoNuff Foods is at its busiest during the spring and summer months, peaking in August when the community’s demand for barbecue such as beef brisket, pulled pork sandwiches and ribs is at its highest.

Things typically slow down from October through April, causing the business to shift into catering mode, serving to private homes, office parties, weddings and other events. The menu changes dramatically during that time, too, as the Bennetts use their culinary training and past restaurant experience to cook up a variety of dishes.

During a stretch last month, they prepared for clients root beer–glazed chicken and braised beef tri-tip to go along with mashed potatoes, gravy and glazed carrots.

“We haven’t done barbecue the last few months,” Barbara said.

The business operates out of a tall storage building on Oak Street, not far from Goldie Road, near Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

In the summer months, a barbecue pit is rolled outside and Fred lights up oak and mesquite wood to bring out the smoky aroma to draw in the lunch clientele.

“We tend to go overboard for the military,” Fred said. “That’s something near and dear to both of us with her being a veteran. I come from a military family.”

The process has been one of careful “baby steps,” Barbara said, with an inventory that now includes an 18-foot-long barbecue pit nicknamed the “torpedo” and a mobile kitchen inside a shiny red trailer.

The operation started out just selling baked goods, a passion Barbara picked up from her grandmother, then moved onto barbecue cuisine, debuting with a 4-foot smoker at the Kingston Farmers Market in April of 2005.

“This is definitely something that you can’t just wake up one day and say you want to do it,” Barbara said. “If you don’t really enjoy it, you can burn out real easily. You’re either designed for it or you’re not.”

The Bennett family works together as a team, including the children, Deandre, 14, and Tamara, 12. Fred and Barbara have been married for 17 years and both grew up in Brooksville, Fla., before the Navy brought them to Oak Harbor.

“I can praise God,” Fred said. “We mostly have good days as far as between me and her without arguing or fighting.

“For us, having our faith, having our family, that’s the thing that makes it worth it for me personally. I can’t imagine working with anybody else. For as much as I get on her nerves, and for as much as she gets on my nerves, to roll over and always see her, for me personally, it makes it worthwhile. I’m just as happy as can be.”

Warmer temperatures and sunshine also tend to bring a smile to Fred’s face.

The festival season gets going with a traditional appearance at Holland Happening in late April. Weekly showings at the Oak Harbor Farmers Market start in May.

“It has been a privilege to work with and watch this business grow over the last five years,” said Peg Tennant, manager of the Oak Harbor and Coupeville farmers markets.

“Farmers markets are often business incubators — a place to solidify experience, hone skills and refine operations. And when the owners of the business are personable, flexible and have a great sense of humor, it’s a win-win all the way around.

“The whole Bennett family continues to be a gift to our local markets and community.”

And Barbara and Fred Bennett, who are both in their late-30s, don’t plan to go anywhere any time soon.

They want to continue to improve their business and continue to get the word out to the community.

“We’ve both had friends who started businesses and you see them lose the business,” Fred said. “That’s something we just don’t want to experience.

“A lot of people don’t know we’ve been around for so long. We’ve been here a solid decade.

“We’re here to stay. At the same time, we’re very cautious with the moves and steps that we take.”

To learn more about ShoNuff Foods, go to the website at www.shonufffoods.com