WINNEBAGO, Nebraska -- In a small restaurant located inside the Ho-Chunk Plaza, Reggie Frazier makes some of most mouthwatering food on the Winnebago Reservation.
So, what's on the menu? On a recent Friday, it was an Alaskan Po' Boy Sandwich, served with a zesty Cajun sauce and a Creole-inspired cole slaw that was the midday special.
"The Po' Boy is one of the most popular lunchtime offerings," Frazier, who owns R-EATZ, a 504 Ho-Chunk Plaza café with his wife Rita, explained. "It's almost as popular as our Chinese Beef and Broccoli or our Pulled Pork Nachos."
Wait, New Orleans-style Po' Boys, Asian cuisine and South-of-the-Border fare? That wasn't what we were expecting from an eatery inside of the Native American Reservation in Northern Thurston County, Nebraska.Â
"I can also make Indian fry bread," Frazier, a culinary school-trained chef, explained. "But I like to experiment with other types of food."
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Chef Reggie Frazier went from a food vendor at the Ho-Chunk Village Farmers Market to the owner of R-EATZ, a brick-and-mortar eatery in Winneb…
It's obvious that diners appreciate R-EATZ's epicurean experimentation. Most lunch hours, you'll see customers lined all the way out the door.
A member of both the Winnebago and Santee Sioux Tribes, Frazier was raised by his father and an aunt, who were both excellent home cooks.
"Everything I know about Native foods I learned from my dad and from my auntie," he said.Â
Though he toiled in different lines of work, Frazier always wanted a career in the food industry.
You don't expect to find a New Orleans-inspired Po' Boy -- featuring Alaskan Cod and a Cajun sauce -- on a Winnebago, Neb. restaurant menu, bu…
Last year, Frazier set up shop in a stall, every Friday, at the Ho-Chunk Village Farmers Market, where his food acquired a growing fan base, Too Sharpback said.
"People found out that Reggie can cook anything," Sharpback, the on-site manager of Ho-Chunk Village Farmers Market, explained. "R-EATZ grew so successful that Reggie and Rita moved out of a stall and into a more permanent space back in February."
Tony Wood, a financial services coordinator with Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation, said Frazier is one of Farmers Market's most compelling success stories.
"When people think of a farmers market, they mostly think of produce stands," he said. "But at the Ho-Chunk Farmers Market, we have people selling produce, prepared foods, crafts, jewelry, you name it. They all represent different types of small businesses."
Both Wood and Sharpback assist budding entrepreneurs with business plans and financial advice.
Since it was founded four years ago, Sharpback said the Farmers Market has served as an incubator for business owners wanting to test the waters.
"We don't charge our vendors for space," she said of the Farmers Market, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday. "This is a very low-pressure endeavor."
Many Ho-Chunk Village Farmers Market vendors aspire to be future entrepreneurs. On the other hand, Vanna Rave is running a Super Nachos stand …
For instance, the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Lemonade Stand is run by young people, while the Super Nacho Stand is managed by Vanna Rave, who is a single mom with athletic-minded kids.
"Whatever money I make at the Farmers Market will go back into travel or equipment-related costs for my kids' summer sporting teams," Rave said.
The Ho-Chunk Village Farmers Market represented a step-up for R-EATZ's Frazier.
"Most of my regular customers know me from the Farmers Market," he said. "They've been loyal to me and I'll continue to be loyal to them."
Currently, R-EATZ employs a cashier and two assistant cooks as well as Frasier and his wife.
R-EATZ kitchen staff Bill DeCaro and Landon Black Deer team up in the preparation of a pulled pork platter at the popular Winnebago restaurant…
Which is exactly the way Wood likes it.
"The Fraziers live in Winnebago, work in Winnebago and they are keeping their money in Winnebago," he said.Â
And what unusual items will soon be turning as a R-EATZ special of the day?Â
Frazier said it could be a Philly Cheesesteak, or possibly, pozole, a traditional Mexican soup.
"I do like to test out new recipes," he said. "I have to keep my customers coming back for more."