Lakota by Chef Court Brings a Taste of the Wild to Bonita Springs

Post published:January 25, 2024
Reading time:5 mins read

Once in a while, you stumble upon something brilliant in an unexpected place. Now, we don’t have anything against the flea market. We love shopping around for treasures. That being said, it was definitely not where we thought of going for elevated cuisine- until now.

Lakota Creole: A Tasty Hidden Gem

We heard about Lakota Creole from a friend and decided to check it out for lunch. As soon as we walked into the main entrance of Flamingo Island Flea Market we found it on the right. This modest kitchen and small sitting area have a small menu full of creative dishes with big flavors. The menu varies but each dish and its ingredients are always inspired by Native American culture and Creole cuisine.

After some debate, we chose the Wild Boar Biscuits and Gravy, the Wagyu Barbacoa Frybread, and the Breakfast Burrito. Each dish blew us away. John Paul considers himself a Sausage Gravy Connoisseur and he agreed that it was one of the best biscuits and gravy he had ever had. The breakfast burrito was full of perfectly cooked, creamy, cheesy eggs and topped with pickled red onions. The Fry bread was perfectly crispy and topped with super tender, generously seasoned wagyu barbacoa and served with a side of a delicious chipotle sauce.

Each meal was so simple, and made with such few ingredients, yet made with such skill that made them so elevated, creative, and delicious. We raved about our food to our sweet server who we came to find out is the mother of Chef Court! He came out of the kitchen to meet us and we were so happy he did. His story made us love his food even more.

The Story Behind Lakota Creole

Chef Court was born on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, a Lakota Reservation, which is where his love for wild game began. He is passionate about making game meat more mainstream. Wild game is typically more nutritious than what most of us buy in the store. It is also generally more humane and sustainable for our environment. Chef Court sources most of his meat locally from Jimmy P’s and his seafood from Dilly’s.

The Lakota Creole menu changes based on what meats Chef Court can source. Some other recently featured menu items include Venison Philly Cheese Steaks, Bison Smash Burgers, Smoked Fish Cakes, and a Wild Boar Pork Chop.

Chef Court has watched plenty of people turn down his unique menu, but he has also watched skeptics become believers. He told us a story about a woman who was nervous to try Elk Tenderloin but quickly fell in love after her first bite. “With an open mind, you might just find your new favorite thing,” says Chef Court.

Lakota Creole opened on December 15th after years of unexpected hurdles. The original location was supposed to be located in Celebration food truck park. He bought a tuk-tuk and worked hard to get ready for opening day. Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen issue with the food truck park’s insurance, he was unable to open. After that, Covid hit and he was unable to keep the business running through events with his tuk-tuk. After things started looking up and he started booking more events, Ian destroyed his home.

Chef Court has never lost hope. His grit, positive outlook, skill, and passion for his food have gotten him over each hurdle and to where he is today.

This is only the beginning for this rising Chef.

Stop by Lakota Creole in the red aisle of the Flamingo Island Flea Market this Friday-Sunday from 8 AM to 4 PM and you might just find “your new favorite thing.”