A big part of the culture in Chickasaw Country is the food. While we were only in Chickasaw Country for a short time, we were able to sample some of the great cuisine on our trip. You can do the same by visiting some of the spots listed below!
Aaimpa Café
If you’re hungry, look no further than the Aaimpa Café, located right on the Chickasaw Cultural Center campus. Aaimpa, which means “a place to eat,” offers a wide selection of appetizers, entrees, kid’s meals, and desserts. What’s special about the Aaimpa Café is that they feature traditional Chickasaw fare. The produce used in the dishes at the Aaimpa Café are organic – so organic, that they were actually harvested from the gardens right on campus, which makes for some fresh flavors in all of their dishes. Talk about farm to table! The café plays a huge part in promoting Chickasaw culture.
Bedré Fine Chocolate and Bedré Cafe
The name Bedré means “better” in Norwegian and perfectly describes Bedré Fine Chocolate. Bedré operates both as a manufacturing facility and a vast retail store offering over 75 delicious creations made in-house. They have a state-of-the-art, 34,600 square-foot manufacturing facility where visitors can watch the chocolate making process through floor-to-ceiling windows. However, this is no Lucy Ricardo chocolate-making operation! The curtain of chocolate is amazing to see; the morsels goes through the curtain on their way to becoming a finished treat. You can also watch the hand dipping of caramel apples. During this process, the caramel is made, the apples are dipped and they let them cool. Then the team adds toffee, pecans and pretzel toppings, and drizzles them in three types of chocolate! They also hand dip all the strawberries for Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. This would be a perfect holiday visit. Choose from an array chocolate desserts, including bars, chocolate covered nuts, fudge twists and melt-away squares.
Bedré Fine Chocolates is part of the Made in Oklahoma coalition and they’re very happy to be represented with other Oklahoma products. Their top line is their chocolate covered crisp, white fudge twist, and pecan sensations, all of which are absolutely wonderful. Their restaurant, the Bedre Café, has 2 locations in Sulphur and Ada. They offer deli-style sandwiches, shakes, a full coffee bar, and of course, their signature chocolates and candy. The melt-away line alone includes more than 7 flavors, including hot fudge, raspberry, caramel, peanut butter, strawberry, orange, mint and more. As a Chickasaw Nation-owned business, they contribute back to the goal and mission of the Chickasaw Nation, which is to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people.
Related: have a sweet tooth? We’ve got some other ideas for you – like this spot in Holland, Michigan!
Sweet Swirlz
For the frozen yogurt and candy aficionado, a stop at Sweet Swirlz is absolutely a must. Located conveniently off of historic Muskogee Street in Sulphur, Oklahoma, Sweet Swirlz brings you delicious frozen yogurt with every topping imaginable. There are so many options it can be hard to pick just one. They have candy everywhere! Look around and you will see an M&M wall, assorted jelly bean flavors, saltwater taffy (which also comes in sugar-free options), gummies and more. Similar to Bedré Fine Chocolates, Sweet Swirlz is also owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation, so it’s a great way to support a local business in town while satisfying your sweet tooth.
