When Kelly Price looks back at the beginnings of Redbone Indian Tacos, she sees much more than the launch of a food truck. She sees a promise she made to herself to honor her Kiowa grandmother’s frybread recipes and to create something that blended tradition, entrepreneurship, and community. Today, Redbone Indian Tacos has grown far beyond that original dream. What began as a single food truck has become a thriving six-year-old Indigenous food business with both a mobile operation and a brick and mortar drive-thru location in Lawton, Oklahoma. For any small business, reaching six years is a milestone worth celebrating. For a food business operating in a sector known for high failure rates, it is especially significant.
The idea for Redbone first took shape when Kelly prepared her grandmother’s frybread for a fundraiser. The community response encouraged her to share that recipe more widely, but she lacked the capital and technical support needed to launch a food enterprise. Traditional lenders were hesitant, and Kelly was unsure where to turn until the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma connected her with the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation. That introduction opened the door she needed.
From the beginning, CPCDC treated Kelly as a partner. Commercial Loan Officer Felecia Freeman listened carefully to her goals and walked her through the steps required to start a food-based business. Kelly has often said that she could not have made the Redbone Indian Taco Truck a reality without CPCDC’s investment and Freeman’s belief in her vision.
With CPCDC’s help, Kelly opened her first food truck and quickly built a loyal following in Medicine Park and throughout central and southwest Oklahoma. The menu honored her grandmother’s recipes while offering customers something unique, delicious, and rooted in culture. As demand grew, the second truck allowed her to expand her offerings and reach new customers. The food truck model kept her connected to festivals, events, and communities, and for several years the mobile operation remained the heart of the business.
Over the years, CPCDC has continued to stand behind Kelly’s success. The organization provided financing not only for the original food truck, but also for a second food truck that uses frybread as a pizza crust, as well as commercial refrigerators and freezers. Most recently, CPCDC supported Kelly with the opening of the new brick and mortar drive-thru location in Lawton, where weekday operations run alongside the weekend food truck schedule. The two-part model provides both stability and flexibility, allowing Kelly to grow while staying connected to the community that supported her from the beginning.
Kelly’s achievement is remarkable. She has not only sustained Redbone Indian Tacos through six years of business in a challenging industry, but expanded it. She credits CPCDC for helping her transform what once felt like an impossible idea into a stable, growing business that feeds her community and carries her grandmother’s legacy forward.
Redbone Indian Tacos remains both a culinary accomplishment and a testament to the power of partnership. For Kelly, it is proof that honoring where you come from can build a strong future.
How CPCDC Financing Strengthened a Native Owned Food Enterprise
Investor Report Version
Redbone Indian Tacos in Medicine Park and Lawton, Oklahoma, is the result of owner Kelly Price’s determination to bring her Kiowa grandmother’s traditional frybread recipes to the public. Kelly had a clear vision for a food truck that would serve Indigenous inspired dishes, but she lacked the capital and technical support needed to launch her business. A referral from the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma led her to the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation, where she found a lending partner who believed in her idea.
CPCDC Commercial Loan Officer Felecia Freeman worked closely with Kelly to understand her goals, clarify her business needs, and prepare a viable plan. Over the years, CPCDC has provided sustained support for Redbone’s growth. This has included financing for the original food truck, a second food truck that uses frybread as pizza crust, commercial refrigerators and freezers, and most recently, assistance with opening the new brick and mortar drive-thru location in Lawton.
Now entering its sixth year of operation, Redbone Indian Tacos has achieved what many food businesses cannot: longevity, stability, and expansion in a sector known for high failure rates. Building on a strong customer base developed through the food truck, Kelly expanded into a permanent drive-thru while continuing to operate the mobile truck on weekends and for special events.
Kelly credits CPCDC’s support as a turning point that allowed her to pursue entrepreneurship with confidence. Her story highlights the impact that mission driven Native CDFIs have when they provide accessible capital and hands-on guidance to Indigenous entrepreneurs. Redbone Indian Tacos stands today as a stable, culturally rooted business that continues to grow and serve communities across southwest Oklahoma.
