June 18, 2024

The chef behind the growing Wahlburgers restaurant chain made a stop Monday in Sioux Falls to visit with customers and culinary students.

Celebrity chef Paul Wahlberg stopped at Hy-Vee’s store at 3000 S. Minnesota Ave., where customers had the chance to meet him and sample burgers, hot dogs and sauces from the Wahlburgers at Home product line.

More than 50 customers came through to meet with Wahlberg, express their enthusiasm and snap a photo with him.

Wahlberg runs the restaurant chain with his brothers Mark and Donnie. They also starred in the reality TV show “Wahlburgers,” which ran for 10 seasons.

“This is my first visit to Sioux Falls, and it’s been fantastic,” Wahlberg said. “I’m sad it took me so long to get out here, but being here now to say hello to everyone has been great, and this community is so supportive.”

Wahlberg happily greeted customers in Hy-Vee for an hour, swapping stories and listening to feedback.

Wahlberg said the partnership with Hy-Vee has been “unbelievable.”

“Hy-Vee is such a great partner, and they have such a good reputation,” he said. “The fact that they chose to work with us has been amazing, and coming out to the different areas has been great.”

Monday evening, Wahlberg also hosted a Kids in the Kitchen class at the Hy-Vee store at 26th Street and Marion Road. The free event allowed kids age 5 to 10 to make English muffin pizzas and candy salads and learn from the executive chef himself.

In regards to the overall model of Wahlburgers, Wahlberg said it has been well received. There are Wahlburgers restaurants inside three Sioux Falls Hy-Vee stores.

“There’s the full sit-down experience, or you can have something a little more casual. It covers a lot of bases for people,” Wahlberg said.

No changes to Wahlburgers or the menu are solidified yet, but Wahlberg said some new drinks will be dropping soon.

“The quality of our products also sets us apart. From start to finish, what we put in it matters,” he said. “The fresh beef makes fresh burgers, and we have proprietary buns and proprietary sauces; there is a lot of care and dedication that goes into it.”

Wahlberg also made a special appearance at the CTE Academy on Monday afternoon. He met with culinary students and industry professionals to discuss his experiences as an executive chef and offer advice about opening restaurants.