605 PROFILE Marcela Salas
WRITTEN BY MADDILYNN KALLSEN + PHOTOS BY CAILYN PATTERSON
Marcela, Chris, and Patricia
“Bibi” was BibiSol’s owner and chef Marcela Salas’ nickname growing up. “In Persian, the word means 'matriarch, grandmother, or female leader' within a community,” revealed Salas. “We found it fit our brand, mission, and our vision, honoring the matriarchal line within my family.” Before BibiSol, Salas had a food truck, Salas Salsas , which she started with her mother, Patricia Burbine . BibiSol opened in July of 2024, located in downtown Sioux Falls in the Carpenter Building . “Sol comes from my mother's middle name, which means 'to be in solitude' as well as 'sun,' which is important to the cultivation of everything, the light my mom brings, and the women in our family that came before us,” said Salas. Salas is a semifinalist for the 2025 James Beard Award for the Emerging Chef Awards , celebrating BibiSol's authentic Mexican food made using ancient indigenous techniques. Read more about BibiSol’s owner and how the community has embraced her new restaurant.
just captured my attention and my heart. It’s really just a very cool park. Palisades State Park is in Garretson, but that's one of my favorite parks as well, and it happens to be where co-owner Chris Nelson grew up. Before I moved to Sioux Falls, I visited Palisades and really fell in love with the park. WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING, WHAT CAN WE FIND YOU DOING? It’s very rare that I'm not working, but I love to be outdoors. I got my private pilot license in 2019, so I can fly recreationally. It's something that's always on my mind. Hopefully this year, I'll be flying a little bit more. WHAT’S YOUR INSPIRATION? Food is that universal language. Everybody can “speak food,” and everybody knows what a good home-cooked meal tastes like. It has a sense of love and intention. Intention has been a huge word for us this fall, to put that into our food. People see that, they feel and they taste it. Intention makes the experience all worth it. FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT BIBISOL.COM+
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THE VIBE AND AMBIANCE CURATED AT BIBISOL? We wanted to create something that was inviting, where you come in and feel at home, relaxed, and welcomed always. We always want our food to be that way as well. We decided to go with some earthy touches in the space—the breeze block that lines the bar is all from Mexico, a little piece of home. HOW HAS THE COMMUNITY EMBRACED BIBISOL? The community has been great. People are excited about the food we're doing, because we're not only elevating a space, but bringing those smaller producers together to highlight what they're doing and strengthen our community. One of our partnerships we have is Svec Farm . They're a grass-fed beef farm out of eastern South Dakota and family owned and operated since 1898. When we're able to uplift local producers who love what they do, it makes our job easier. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS IN SIOUX FALLS? I love Sherman Park . That was one of the places when I first moved to Sioux Falls that
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