relationships | wanted connections | wanted & ongoing plots | aesthetic | home - rhodes farm
hey, look! Itâs [ ROMAN RHODES ] at [ THE DIRFTWOOD DINER ]. did you know they work there as [ OWNER & CHEF ]? i guess theyâre from [ KISMET HARBOR, OREGON ] and have been in town for [ PREVIOUSLY TWENTY YEARS, NOW TWO YEARS ], living in [ HAWTHORE HIDEAWAY ]. i also heard theyâre a little [ STUBBORN & IMPULSIVE ] but also very [ PASSIONATE & FEARLESS ], which makes sense. [ LEE PACE | 44 | CIS MALE | HE/HIM ]Â
BASICS.
full name: roman david rhodes nickname(s)/goes by: ro, chef, chef rhodes, tomato-head, the moose pronouns & gender: he/him & cis-male sexuality: bisexual age: 44 birth date: march 25th, 1980 birthplace: kismet harbor, oregon time in kismet harbr: 2 years (previously 20 years from birth) housing: rhodes farm, hawthorne hideaway occupation: owner & head chef workplace: driftwood diner, driftwood haven family: eric rhodes - father (71), pamela rhodes - mother (43, deceased), ryan rhodes - older brother (46), josie rhodes - younger sister (39) relationship status: single
PHYSICAL.
eye colour: hazel with blue and green hair: warm brunette, wavy, growing longer facial hair: between stubble and a short beard height: 6'5 | 196cm body type: tall, lean, athletic
PERSONALITY.
positive traits: strong, bold, fearless, confident, energetic, passionate, driven, creative, artistic, romantic, observant, loyal negative traits: stubborn, selfish, reckless, impulsive, sensitive, idealistic, emotional, sarcastic, distant, hyper-independent
astrology: aries sun | pisces moon | capricorn rising
hobbies & interests: baseball, wild swimming, fishing, sailing, hiking, camping, cooking, baking, vegetable gardening, orchardry, foraging, cider brewing, gin distillery, raising chickens, road trips.
AESTHETICS.
character inspirations:
carmen berzatto, the bear (2022-2024)
carl casper, chef (2014)
julian slowik, the menu (2022) but with a lot less murder and insanity.Â
pinterest board: https://pin.it/5ArUK31Â
BIOGRAPHY.
trigger warnings: mentions of cancer, death, homophobia
roman david rhodes was born on march 25th, 1980, the second child and son of eric and pamela rhodes. his childhood was a happy one - he grew up at rhodes farm, in a gorgeous farmhouse and lots of land, and spent a huge amount of time at driftwood diner. owned and run by his grandparents, roman bounced between the farm, the diner and school. he was the yin to his elder brother ryanâs yang - while his brother was the extroverted, popular kid who went on to become the captain of the baseball team and prom king, roman was the introvert who preferred growing vegetables and herbs with his mother, searching the land and nearby woods for mushrooms and wild garlic, and baking with his grandmother. being young, he didnât understand he âwasnât supposedâ to like doing those things, because he was a boy and boys liked sports, fighting with sticks and causing trouble. his father tried to encourage him to try sports, and practice throwing and batting baseballs with his brother - and roman enjoyed it because, despite their differences, he looked up to his brother and enjoyed getting his attention. he knew from when he was young that ryan was the golden child, that his father favoured him and overlooked romanâs accomplishments for ryanâs⊠he didnât care, as long as his brother was good to him.Â
while his father overlooked him and struggled to connect to him, his mother was close to him. she encouraged his un-boyish side - the cooking, the baking, the vegetable growing, the mushroom harvesting. she spoke to his father, and made him see it as an asset - roman could grow to be interested in the farm and the diner, and work with his brother when ryan inherited. roman was given a job at the diner when he turned fourteen, as soon as he could. He was just a saturday busboy, clearing tables and wrapping cutlery - but it meant he could learn about the diner, and how it was run. he could watch the cooks, and his grandmother encouraged his knowledge of her recipes and processes. as he got older, he progressed to a server, and finally, a cook. to some, a job flipping burgers was an insult, but to roman, it was great. he understood that cooking a great meal could be fulfilling and that people appreciated the work. by this time, heâd hit his growth spurt and being 6â3 at fifteen meant that the guys at school stopped bothering him, but it did cause a weird tension with his now shorter older brother.Â
romanâs simple life suddenly got a lot more complicated when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, very late stage, and very terminal. she was old enough to see roman graduate high school, but a year later, she was gone, and it hit the family hard. roman put off going to college to be able to stay with her as long as he could, and after she died, he was lost, adrift. his dreams and ambitions had outgrown kismet harbor and the diner - he wanted to go to culinary school, to travel to europe and learn and work there. his father was against it initially - his son leaving so soon after his wife - but romanâs grandparents talked him around⊠and roman had the money to fund himself, as heâd been saving since the first day at the diner.
so, he left. he went to culinary school, and he went to europe to train and work. over the years, he would come home for holidays and as many birthdays as he could afford. and every time, his dad asked when he was coming home to become the head chef at the diner, and roman asked if he would own it. this surprised his dad - ryan was the oldest son, so he would get everything. that wasnât enough for roman⊠if he got the diner, he wanted to make changes. he wanted to keep the heart and soul of the place, and take care of it because people loved it⊠but he wanted to make it his own, to leave his own mark, to serve his food. his grandparents didnât want anything to change, and after their deaths, his father wouldnât allow it either. roman knew that if ryan owned the diner, he would keep things exactly the sameâŠÂ
over time, roman started to learn more and more and worked at various restaurants across europe - italy, france, spain, portugal - until he returned to america, to work in new york. he worked from place to place, until he found himself at michelin-star restaurants. his work had transformed from traditional home cooking to high-concept, avant-garde menus reserved for the rich and affluent. he was an award-winning chef, primed to become the head chef of a michelin-star restaurant, and he thought heâd finally done enough for his father to be proud of him. but every time he went home, his family felt further and further away. his mother was gone, his grandparents had died, and no one understood his work or his passion. they poked fun at him becoming too big for his boots, high and mighty, wondering who he thought he was⊠and he realised unless he contorted himself to fit into the small box his father had always had in mind for him, he would never be accepted - and he would never be praised and thought of like his brother was. they had a huge fight - roman, his father, and his brother. painful and hurtful things were said, and roman left, going no contact. he honestly thought he might never go back to kismet harbor.Â
of course, there were things he was hiding from his family. heâd known from a young age that he was attracted to more than just girls. his first love had been a boy in kismet harbor, but heâd been raised catholic. his family had always talked about him getting married to a woman and having children, and even though that was a possibility⊠roman hated suppressing another part of himself, so he could never tell them.Â
after five years of not speaking to his family, roman reached the end of his rope. his career had reached incredible heights, but the mental and emotional burnout was taking its toll on roman, his relationships and his work. after a disastrous review from a revered, infamous food critic, roman was given a verbal strip down by the owner of the restaurant, and he was fired. untethered and unemployed, roman didnât know what to do⊠when he got a call from his fatherâs lawyer. his father was too ill to continue living at the farm and running the diner, and his brother had left kismet harbor two years previously, leaving only a letter behind. roman inherited everything. It was a shock to the system⊠everything heâd always wanted, and now he had it⊠he wasnât sure he wanted it anymore. but he had to leave new york, and so he went. it at least gave him something to do. so, in January 2023, he moved back to kismet harbor, to restart an old life.
SINCE HIS RETURN.
since his return to kismet harbor, roman has turned his life around and settled into rhodes farm as his home. he's slowly worked, thanks to the help of his neighbours and friends, at fixing up rhodes farm - he's redecorated the farmhouse, repaired the barn, put in new fences, and built a chicken and duck coop. he now has chickens, a herb and vegetable garden, and he's growing new saplings for the pear orchard. he has ducks for the pond, a butchering shed and two pigs for his orchard. currently, he's having cabins built on the land, to take on farm staff when they're finished.
at driftwood diner, roman has successfully integrated a new menu, pulling inspiration from his grandparent's original menu and his own tested recipes. he's opened up the old food truck, taking it out to town events, and set it up for full-time residence at the village. the diner was closed for renovations in january-february 2024. he's built a great team at driftwood, some of whom he would consider his good friends.
roman has rekindled old friendships and built new ones with various people. the most significant relationship he's developed is with andrew jackson, a man in his mid-thirties who appeared one day at his rundown farm and offered to help, free of charge. roman gratefully accepted his help, fed him, and had the biggest crush on him. out of his own fear, he never told andrew or approached the subject of same-sex attraction due to his own religious, family and teenage trauma, but his feelings grew into something more. around easter 2023, roman followed andrew into a chapel after witnessing an argument between andrew and andrew's father, where andrew told him he liked men. roman confessed and they kissed, but roman was trying to deal with the issues from his past that living in kismet harbour had brought back. on his 43rd birthday, the grief of losing his mother came rushing back, and he knew he needed professional help.
roman and andrew started dating a month later, and their relationship developed quickly. roman injured himself to protect andrew from a firework at the kismet harbor 4th July (2023) disaster, and to aid his recovery, he asked andrew to move in with him. after his recovery period, roman realised he didn't want andrew to leave, and asked him to officially move to rhodes farm at the wagner wedding. andrew left him in early march 2024, telling roman he wasn't happy living at the farm, and that he couldn't make him happy because he didn't want to have children. roman has not dated anyone since.
around mother's day 2023, roman decided to reach out to his father, eric, through a letter. the older man reacted with a telephone call, asking roman to visit him. the two have slowly rebuilt their relationship, acknowledging the damage and hurt done on both sides. they are both in a good place, spending holidays together and reconnecting with his son has even bettered his father's health.
roman reconnected with his younger sister, josie, in october 2023. their relationship was strained and painful, but roman was determined to rebuild his connection with her. they have since become close, and roman is a steady, trusted figure in the lives of his two nieces, hazel (10) and elsie (7).
recently, roman has been working to develop a cidery, using the famous rhodes pears grown in his orchard. this is a long-term goal, with the intention of brewing small, local batches of pear cider, exclusive to kismet harbor, as part of a historical project. the rhodes pear is considered a local heritage pear.
roman has also been working with local benefactors and organisers to develop the 'growing strong' programme - aimed at getting homeless people off the streets and back into work. the programme is still in the early stages of development.
