Refined by Fire: Helberg BBQ owners ‘saw God’s faithfulness’ through fiery ordeal

WOODWAY, Texas (KWTX) - Over a year after their dream business went up in flames, the Helberg family has been working nonstop to get back on track and once again share their iconic barbecue with the community from within a traditional brick and mortar location.

Helberg Barbecue has risen from the ashes to be refined by fire.

The Helbergs explain their beginning the best: a Texas boy, a farmer’s daughter, and a little backyard smoker. Phillip and Yvette have been married for 8 years but met 10 years ago on a cruise in Hawaii. Phillip then moved to southern California to be with Yvette as she finished school. Phillip, a Texas boy, missed home and started cooking barbecue in his backyard. At this point, he had caught the barbeque bug.

‘Helberg’ started as a small catering business, and the Helbergs moved to Texas and opened a food trailer in a community they love.

“We didn’t realize how much this community would play a role in what we do then as much as we do now,” said Yvette Helberg, Owner of Helberg Barbecue.

“This Central Texas community kinda fit all the things that we were looking for in a place to raise a family and start our business, and we saw a really blossoming and supportive small business community and thought that we could be successful as a part of it,” said Phillip Helberg, Owner of Helberg Barbecue.

At the center of Helberg Barbecue is the couple’s faith.

“We just felt a pull spiritually in the direction of something special being around us with barbecue and what we were doing and that we could really use it as a ministry opportunity, use it to glorify god,” said Phillip Helberg.

In 2018, business at the food trailer was moving slowly with Phillip and Yvette working hard to keep their dream alive – they also welcomed a new member to the family, Wayne. In May of 2019, everything changed. Helberg Barbecue was named one of the “Top 25 Best New BBQ Joints in Texas” by Texas Monthly Magazine.

“It was a domino effect,” Phillip said. “The magazine came out, and then a lot of local press and news coverage started happening. A lot of people in the area found out about us in a very short amount of time.”

Then, business really took off, and the couple opened their first brick-and-mortar location later that year. By the time 2020 started, business was booming, and then the COVID-19 pandemic started. According to the Federal Reserve, more than 700,000 businesses closed across the United States. However, Helberg Barebeque saw something different.

“We grew in the pandemic,” said Yvette Helberg. “That’s odd to say, you know, looking back because we know places closed, but we did grow in that period. And i think part of it has to do that we at the start of the pandemic we both agreed let’s think outside of ourselves right now and i do think that that came back tenfold to us not saying it happenes everytime but i think that giving back to the community to families that really needed it more than we did.”

“It really helped kind of solidify ourselves as part of the community we’re in too and letting people know that we’re here for them and that we care,” said Phillip.

After the lockdown, the business started to gain momentum, becoming a BBQ staple in central Texas. But tragedy struck around 8 p.m. on November 26th of 2023, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. An electrical fire broke out at the restaurant in Speegleville.

“We were home, he was making sausage with our son, and I was making Christmas cookies and a friend of ours calls and says, ‘Hey, your restaurant is on fire. ’ That’s how we found out,” recalled Yvette. “We hopped in the car, got there in record time. We beat the fire department there.”

“There’s so much uncertainty when you’re watching you and all the people you employ’s livelihood just go up in flames,” said Phillip.

“It was overwhelming. I remember just hitting the ground, crying and asking God, Why? I mean, there were people pulling over on the side of the road. A lady prayed with us, and I wish I remembered her name. I would love to thank her again because I remember it,” said Yvette.

The Helbergs reached out to their church family, asking for prayers and seeking comfort in their faith.

“Within the hour, I felt so much peace I don’t know there’s no other explanation for it other than the holy spirit,” said Yvette. “Literally no explanation because I shouldn’t feel that amount of peace with my building just burned down. Doesn’t make sense.”

The fire showed them the fragility of material items, and they say they will never forget the fire or walking through the building for the first time after.

“We had no idea what the inside was going to look like,” recalled Phillip. “We figured maybe just some roofing was going to have to be repared. It was destroyed in there. Structural beams, purlins that were completely twisted, and if it didn’t get fire or smoke damage, then it got water damage from the department coming in and hosing off everything, which they had to do obviously, but it was pretty shocking, to say the least.”

For the couple, the old building will always hold a special place in their hearts with the memories of hardships faced, the growth of their business, and seeing people hungry for their barbeque. The Helbergs knew these things were also in their future. The couple opened up a trailer on land they owned not even a full month after the fire and have been serving barbeque out of it for 15 months

“We saw just God’s faithfulness through this whole thing in ways I never expected,” said Yvette. “He’s going to give me what I need and what’s best for me and I need to keep that perspective in the forefront of my mind and the hardships that we’ve faced with weather the temporary site flooding a couple times just all the different ups and downs we’ve faced.”

With their building gone and the trailer doing well, plans were in the works for their new building.

“After being carried through everything that we have, we feel confident that if we continue to be faithful and work hard and stick to putting out the best product we can on a daily basis and serve people the best way we know how and stay true to 1 Peter 4:10 then this won’t be an issue for us either,” said Phillip.

The new restaurant was built to the Helbergs' specifications with an indoor kitchen, a mostly indoor pit room, floor drains, a septic system, more equipment, parking, patio seating, more smokers, and more walk-in cooler space.

“Getting into this building isn’t the end. You know it’s just a new beginning because now we have a whole new adventure ahead of us,” said Yvette.

Although the building is new and there are some additions to the menu, the goal of Helberg Barbeque is the same.

“Business and faith kind of intertwine in our life,” said Yvette. “I hope ultimately we point people to Jesus.”

“We hope that this story gives people hope,” said Phillip.

“On your way out, there’s gonna be a sign that says someone is praying for you,” said Yvette. “Knowing that, we’re thankful for every person that comes through this door, and it was a prayer of ours that you would come through our door.”

Through the hardships, the motto of Helberg Barbeque remains the same. It’s all salt, pepper, and a whole lot of prayer.