Husband and wife Nicholas and Sarah Gravois have a passion for cooking and being around others, two aspects of their lives that they’ve always had.

Originally from Crowley, Sarah settled down with New Iberia native Nicholas seven years ago. The two have five children together, four boys — Lane Quebedeaux, Noah, Luke, and Rivers — and a little girl, Reese, their youngest.

Nicholas grew up watching his dad hunt and cook his catch daily. That love was passed on from father to son.

“I kinda integrated with it, and I have a passion for cooking,” Nicholas said. “My mom was a scratch-cooking type of woman and I kinda took up on it, too.”

As for Sarah, she has always enjoyed the people-side of business, remembering her first job at a baseball concession stand years ago as well as her work with restaurants and catering, The public contact is a part of the job she loves to do more than anything.

“I’ve always been a people person,” Sarah said. “And I think his background and what he does is good, and I’m not (good at that), and I think I’m better at talking to people.”

It’s a match made in heaven for the two. Nicholas and Sarah started their own business this past April, a mashup of the two worlds: Louisiana Boiled Seafood and Sis’ Sneaux & Geaux.

At their restaurant, located at 1123 E. Main St. in New Iberia at the old Paper Mill, they serve up some of the Teche Area’s most unique combinations of high-quality seafood and seafood platters as well as over-the-top sugary snowballs, topped with mouthfuls of candy.

The two also mentioned that their menu is an open concept with an open kitchen. They are still tweaking the recipes.

“This can be really good, but we have to do something different,” Nicholas said.

Aside from the food they serve, Sarah said the most important thing to them is the quality of their service.

“We’re building it differently,” Sarah said. “You’re going to know us, you’re going to come and talk to us if we have a problem … because you know I am going to fix it.”

Sarah may be the yin to Nicholas’ yang, but she said working together in a new business in the middle of a pandemic has been a struggle. But they are happy with where they are in their lives.

“While the pandemic was bad for a lot of people, I think it actually worked in our benefit,” Sarah said. “God put us where we needed to be when we needed to be there.”

The hardships strengthened the two as they maneuvered through it all.

“We did enough to swim,” Nicholas said. “But we had enough trips and falls along the way.”

Sarah credits their customers, all of whom have been more than supportive since the start of their business, and with strong ties and relationships with them for keeping them going. She said they are the reason why they love doing what they do.

“That’s my number one thing — if you’re happy, I’m happy,” Sarah said.

Before she even realized it, that bond with her customers grew strong over these last few months. Getting to know them personally has only brought Sarah and Nicholas closer to them.

“They’re a family,” Sarah said.

Speaking of family, Sarah and Nicholas are working for something that is generational, hoping to pass on the business to their children, specifically Reese.

“I wanted something for her,” Sarah said. “I’m hoping this is around when she’s old enough, but this is going to go to her.”

At the end of the day, Sarah and Nicholas are both proud of what they were able to accomplish with the opening of Louisiana Boiled Seafood and Sis’ Sneaux & Geaux.

“I have a vision of keeping the heritage,” Nicholas said. “And just the authentic quality and when you say, ‘Louisiana Boiled Seafood,’ you see true Louisiana — a heartache, a culture.”

For three years Sarah was a single mom, struggling but working two jobs and going to school while raising Lane. But finally getting together with Nicholas and starting a family and a business, to her, is a culmination of the journey she has been on — and the path to where she is going.

“From what I came from, and what I had to go through to get to this point, it’s happiness,” Sarah said.