New Orleans resident and New Iberia native Wendy Gelpi grew up around food, most notably with her father, Wofford Folse.

A mother of four children of her own now, she still loves to cook for them and looks forward to the holiday each year especially.Gelpi, a homemaker, loves to travel and fish aside from her hobby: cooking. But that doesn’t stop her from caring for her family

What is something you like to do for fun?

I am a homemaker right now. I was lucky enough to stay at home while my kids were small. I did a lot of volunteer work. I was the vice president of the Lady’s Leukemia League for years and years and president of my mother’s club at my kid’s school. I’ve done things like that and all the while raising four children.

You have your hands full?

I do. But they are my life. My kids are my life, even to this day in their 30s and that’s what I’m doing now. I’m cooking for them, they come to have dinner with me about twice a week. I cook dinners and it saves them from having to worry about a meal because everyone is working.

Do you have a favorite food to cook?

I don’t cook the heavy things like I used to like the heavy rouxs, the gumbos or chickens, with four kids, trying to cook everything and get everything done, but my favorite thing to cook is Christmas dinner.

What’s the biggest difference between New Iberia and New Orleans?

One’s a big city and one’s a small town. I like going to places in New Iberia and a couple of months back I needed a new refrigerator and I went to Magic Video. It’s family-owned and everyone knows them. I like the fact that everyone knows everyone else.