One of the unique aspects of a small town like New Iberia is its people and the local love they share with one another.

Heather Gardner of New Iberia knows all too well how much the support of the community means. Her brother, Matt Indest, and his wife, Alexis, help run Preservation Bar & Grill along with Gardner and Rebecca Holleman.

They work together in all aspects, from Alexis handling the general management to Matt, who handles the cooking and Holleman, who works on the catering side of things. Gardner joked that she just does whatever else is needed.

With the last year having such a devastating effect on so many businesses and restaurants, Gardner said that supporting local restaurants and businesses as well as vendors is more important than ever.

“Born and raised in New Iberia, I know how important it is to support our community,” Gardner said. “I really like our little town. It has amazing culture and we want to support our little town.”

Gardner and her partners at Preservation Bar & Grill have wanted to bring a little more entertainment to the restaurant. Depending on the weather, they offer live music in an effort to promote local music.

From Peace, Love and Smoke, to Gonsoulin Land and Cattle, Gardner and the restaurant aims to work with the other local businesses in New Iberia.

“Another thing we do at our restaurant is that we use a lot of local vendors and ingredients that we incorporate into our restaurant,” Gardner said. “We want to keep as much as possible for our business, we want to support local business also.”