Roman Wesley Jr., from left, Alivia Wesley, 5, and Crissy Wesley prepare a Goulash Creole for an outdoor gathering. KARMA CHAMPAGNE / THE DAILY IBERIAN

While New Orleans may be the official home of Mardi Gras celebrations, Teche Area residents prove you don’t have to live or visit in New Orleans to enjoy “Fat Tuesday” celebrations.

Just as with any Cajun celebration, food is always at the heart of any “Fat Tuesday” festivities. Whether it is a parade or joining in the Mardi Gras frenzy by throwing your own party at home, there is sure to be plenty of good food around for the celebration.

Roman Wesley Jr. and wife, Crissy, love to share the spirit of the season and good food with anyone who is around them on Fat Tuesday.

When the New Iberia couple arrives at a parade site with their four daughters, they are usually toting a flat bed trailer behind their vehicle and are armed with pots, cooking utensils and enough food to share with others. Some Mardi Gras revelers are just as busy following the aroma of the Wesleys’ food as they are watching the marching bands and royalty rolling along the parade route. But it’s not always the smell of Cajun food that gets the revelers attention.

Wesley said he and his wife love to cook the Cajun favorites, but they also switch things up a bit and often prepare some German food to add a little variety to the Southern celebration. Growing up in a bi-racial family, Wesley said the foods he came to love and learn to cook were influenced by his father, the late Roman Wesley Sr., a native of Jeanerette who spent 28 years in the military before returning home to become Jeanerette’s police chief, and his mother Gisela Showhultz Wesley, of German descent.

“I love to cook and grew up eating both Cajun and German food. My father enjoyed cooking, so I was able to learn to cook food from both cultures. When there is a holiday or celebration, we always cook a little food representing Cajun and German,” he said.

Wesley was a professional cook for 18 years before becoming disabled. He served as an offshore cook and went on to cook in various restaurants in New Iberia and Lafayette. Wesley said he still shares the same passion for cooking and the experience of seeing others enjoy the food he has prepared. He often cooks for nursing home residents as a special treat and volunteers to cook for school functions and other gatherings.

“There is nothing better than seeing the expression on someone’s face when they take the first bite of food and you know they are enjoying it or if they are licking their fingers after they’ve finished,” said Wesley. “The best part of cooking is to be able to share with others and know they are enjoying the food just as much as you’ve enjoyed cooking it.”

Wesley said he often takes a traditional German dish and incorporates a few Cajun ingredients to make the dish more adaptable to the area. One of his favorites is a Creole Goulash. He uses a traditional German recipe, but substitutes with a combination of deer meat and pork tips.

Friends and family always come back for seconds when he prepares German Rouladen — meat rolls seasoned with spicy mustard and filled with bacon, onions and pickles. Serve it with a side of German potato salad and a sweet roll, and even Cajuns are licking their fingers, Wesley said.

“I cook with my heart, not my eyes. Food cooks itself — it is just up to the individual’s taste,” he said. “Anyone can be a good cook if they can read. It is just a matter of taking the time to read a recipe and changing the ingredients to satisfy your own taste. “

When the New Iberia couple arrives at a parade site in Houma on Fat Tuesday, Crissy Wesley said they aren’t sure what they will be cooking, but they do know they will have plenty to share with other Mardi Gras revelers.

“It will probably be a little something Cajun and something German. We usually always have a little of both and try to prepare one-pot meals so that we can enough to share with others ,” she said.