Aug. 26, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Dawley Farm Village.

A family who moved to Sioux Falls from Texas five years ago has become the new franchisee for the CherryBerry Yogurt Bar at Dawley Farm Village.

Mike and Rose Maksym and their son, Kaegen Vargas, took over the east-side location this spring.

Vargas, who is 19, “was all game” for it, Rose Maksym said. “He wants to invest and is very eager. He’s had a 401(k) since he was 16, so he is all about saving and earning money and planning for the future.”

He’s starting college, though, so mom is running the business day-to-day. Maksym is a former federal government employee who has been learning the restaurant industry.

“I had never worked in food service, ever, and it’s totally different from my work in federal service, so it’s a big learning curve,” she said.

That said, “it’s been a really good summer,” she added. “I can’t complain.”

New additions at CherryBerry include a nondairy coconut, green apple and pineapple Italian ice, for a total of four nondairy options.

Toppings include cookie dough balls daily. The most popular frozen yogurt favors are “tried-and-true chocolate and vanilla, cookie dough, and cookies and cream,” Maksym said. “So the basics are always moving.”

The store also is still a family endeavor, she said. Her son will be helping on weekends with cleaning machines and mechanical work — he’s going to school for welding and business while working as an apprentice diesel mechanic — and her husband helps out with maintenance after hours.

They met in Colorado, where she had lived for 13 years, before moving to Texas, where she’s from originally. His job brought the family to Sioux Falls.

Hours for CherryBerry adjust seasonally, but for now they’re noon to 9 p.m. daily.