SPRINGFIELD, IL – From farmers market to fresh at the door, 22-year-old Journe Dawson is spreading her wings – and selling them fried, barbecued and sauced too.
Creole Smoke, an Old Capitol Farmers Market and Levitt AMP Cajun food vendor, has upgraded their space in downtown after one year at the market, and is opening up shop at 213 S. Fifth St.
The business is hoping to open by the end of summertime with a soft opening hopefully by August.
Dawson started the business with her mother, Somer, and father Isaac, who have always been supporters of her love of cooking.
“My dad wasn’t really the cook of the house that was more so my mom but whenever he got in the kitchen it was like oh my god can you make this again,” Dawson said. “My mom was always scared I’d hurt myself so he let me use the knives before she thought I was old enough to.”
Once open in the space, Dawson said the shop would be serving up their classics like jambalaya, garlic parmesan barbeque wings, red beans and rice and other smokey dishes.
Customers can also order fresh fruit smoothies from her mother’s business Smart Nature, using fresh fruit on a rotating limited menu. This is Smart Nature’s second time back in Springfield. Originally located in the Centrum building in the early 2010s, the family moved to doing farmers market pop-ups at the Soulard Farmers Market in St. Louis, Missouri.
Items on the Creole Smoke menu were inspired by the family’s cultural roots going back generations on Dawson’s father’s side.
“My dad was learning how to cook from his mother and that’s where it all came from,” Dawson said. “With a little extra research reaffirming what we already knew we were putting together our menu.”
From Louisiana to Peoria, the Dawson’s are actively planning to include more of their family’s heritage in Springfield’s food scene.
New dishes will include crawfish and shrimp Étouffée and daily rotating specials like gumbo, authentic dirty rice and a “Creole seafood horseshoe.” Étouffée is a shellfish or other shellfish smothered in a roux sauce over rice.
Prices will range between $15 to $25 for the entrees. The hours to come in and order a piping hot plate of grilled oysters could range from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dawson said, as she hopes to drum up some of the late-night and afternoon crowd once other spots close during the day.
The restaurant will be moving into the former Beelzebunz bakery location, but this doesn’t mean Dawson won’t be seen around the city, and even the state.
Dawson says the family plans on travelling to food shows across the state, catering events and having multiple avenues of income to support the business, which means you can find the business at Levitt Amp and farmers markets.
While downtown has gone seen a lot of turnover over the years, Dawson sees it as an opportunity more than a risk.
“Whenever I enter something the first thing is having a lot of hope and faith in what you’re doing,” Dawson said. “As far as downtown goes I mean if you really think about it it’s like any other place. It’s hard to get people through the doors, once you get them in, you’re good to go as long as you keep up good quality and service. … if anything, it’s better to be down here than anywhere else.”
Following the success of her business, a future dream for the chef is to one day write her own novel and expand out of the kitchen into self-publishing, another passion she actively pursues.
“Springfield needs something Cajun creole,” Dawson said. “We’re about to have it finally.”
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@usatodayco.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Creole Smoke is bringing Cajun eats to downtown Springfield
Reporting by Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
