So happy to be back among customers after the pandemic curbed his travel, Chef Paul Wahlberg celebrated the first anniversary of his Wahlburgers store on MidCity Drive in Huntsville this week. His visit was in tandem with the 10-year anniversary of the Wahlburgers brand and highlighted by the launch of his new limited-time-only Anniversary Burger.

The burger features a cake of fried mac ‘n cheese, crispy bacon, Wahlburgers’ famous government cheese, pickled red onion, shredded lettuce, and Wahl sauce. It is available until December 19.

“Oh my gosh, it is so good, reminiscent of the food we ate as kids,” said the affable Chef Paul. “That is what I try to do with the food and atmosphere at Wahlburgers, share my experiences growing up in a big family with as many people around as possible, live music until 2 o’clock, and a lot of fun … I was told no dancing though … I dance like nobody is watching, so I have been warned.”

Chef Paul said he loves people and enjoys talking to customers, but he didn’t get to do enough of that over the past year as everyone continues to deal with pandemic issues.

“I was told I could talk a dog off a meat truck but talking to customers is how I figure out what drives them to come to the restaurant,” he said. “Being in the stores is where I am the happiest, in front of the customers, trying to make them happy. I really wanted to come down to Huntsville and say hello to everyone. Things have been going great, everyone is fantastic, I mean, we are making it happen!”

Founded by Chef Paul and his famous brothers, musician Donnie and actor Mark Wahlberg during the run of their Emmy-nominated reality show Wahlburgers that ran on A&E from 2014 to 2019, Wahlburgers is a casual dining restaurant and bar serving fresh ground beef burgers, entrée salads and sandwiches, loaded tots and frothy shakes. The atmosphere is festive with a shared inside and outdoor bar and patio.

L to R: Clark Walker, general manager, Jamie Munoz, owner, Chef Paul Wahlberg, owner/founder, Jeffrey Falloff, owner, and Cody Morgan, owner.

The Huntsville franchise is owned by Chef Paul, Jamie Munoz, Jeffrey Falloff, and Cody Morgan. The general manager is Clark Walker.

“I always partner with people like we did here in Huntsville who care about hospitality and have experience with the food industry,” said Wahlberg. “I am a chef by trade, this is what I have always done, so for me it is always trying to be out there with the customers. There are always fires to put out in the restaurant business, always something to do, but I am fortunate I found what makes me tick, and I live and breathe it.”

He also spoke about the ongoing struggles with supply chain issues and how he handles the shortages that have many restaurants unable to offer certain items standard to their menus.

“You know the whole world is still in some disarray (from the pandemic). Everybody has had to make adjustments so we do the best we can, and people have been very understanding.

“But the way I see it, if we don’t have it and can’t get it, we make it. If we can’t make it, we create something different to substitute it. That is what is so great about it, you don’t know where the next great idea is going to come from, especially with food.

“People ask me, how did you come up with that combination?

“I say, ‘Well, we were out of x and out of y so we made z instead. It’s great. Sometimes through chaos there can be creation.”