After serving up Creole favorites at the Old Capitol Farmers Market for the past year,
Journe’ Dawson is getting ready to open a brick-and-mortar location of Creole Smoke
downtown.
Dawson and her parents, Isaac and Somer Dawson, will begin serving customers at
Creole Smoke’s new location at 213 S. Fifth St. on Sept. 1. The location also will be
home to The Blend Station by Smart Natured Smoothies, the smoothie business
operated by Somer Dawson. The space was most recently home to Beelzebunz Bakery, which closed in November.
Creole Smoke’s menu will feature dishes that will be familiar to regulars at Dawson’s
Farmers Market booth, such as crawfish mac and cheese, jambalaya, Creole red beans
and rice, and shrimp and crawfish etouffee. Dawson said initially she plans to keep the
menu limited while they refine their systems and determine what customers really want.
She said they may eventually expand to add options such as gumbo and dirty rice.
Dawson emphasized that Creole Smoke is a Creole restaurant, not a Cajun restaurant.
“People may think that everything we have is spicy, but Creole food is a blend of
cultures that have brought together this blend of seasonings, but it’s not necessarily
spicy,” Dawson said.
The Blend Station’s menu will feature the natural, fresh smoothies from recipes Somer
Dawson has developed over the past decade, featuring nutritional add-ins such as
ginseng, saffron root and sea moss.
“She’s got like 100 different recipes, and they are heavily focused on wellness,”
Journe’ Dawson said of her mother’s business. “It’s not just another place to get a
smoothie.”
Somer Dawson introduced Smart Natured Smoothies at the local farmers market in
2016 and later moved the business to the Soulard Farmers Market in St. Louis. With the
partnership with Creole Smoke, she’s reintroduced the business to Springfield.
Journe’ Dawson said she’s been making smoothies with her mom since she was 13 and
is happy to be working alongside her again. “That’s what I was doing when I was in
middle school,” she said. “I was in the kitchen blending smoothies.”
In addition to making smoothies with her mom, Dawson also spent time in the kitchen
with her father.
“My dad and I really love cooking, and that’s what led to Creole Smoke,” she said. “We
noticed a lack of anything Creole or Cajun anywhere in Springfield, so we were like,
‘Let’s do this.’ The response has been great. Everyone has been really happy to have a
different style of food here and not just another chain restaurant.”
Initlally, Creole Smoke will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, while
the Dawsons determine when demand is highest for downtown dining.