THIAGO ORTIZ the THIRTY-TWO year old lives in ROOM THREE on FLOOR SEVEN. It is said that they have been here at Ellswick Tower for SIX MONTHS. The HEAD CHEF/OWNER AT THE SILVER VINE is said to be DEDICATED and SELF-CRITICAL which makes sense when you think about how they were a ACQUAINTANCE to Devon Carrington, who was just found dead.
TRIGGER WARNING: spousal loss, car accident, hospitals, death, drunk driver
𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒.
name: thagio gael ortiz nicknames/alias: none, but will not say no to one if you do not work with him professionally
faceclaim: tommy martinez
age: thirty-two gender: cismale sexuality: bisexual date/place of birth: february 14th | paris, france currently: san varano, california
positive traits: dedicated, genuine, compassionate negative traits: self-critical, rigid, cynical astrological sign: aquarius archetype: the dreamer
𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘.
thiago was quite literally born to be in a kitchen. his parents owned and operated a restaurant along the main streets of paris -- his father operating the business and front of house while his mother was the head chef and operated the kitchen: high school sweethearts who left their hometown in mexico so they could study fine parisian cooking in the center of it all. he spent his early years after school tugging on his father's leg when he was drowning in paperwork, and testing his mother's menu every season. what emerged was an appetite and an education-wise beyond his years.
he was the second of the two ortiz siblings, far more interested in the family business than his brother was. did this create some distance? perhaps it did. and yet, this never stopped thiago from loving and caring for his brother in his own way.
of course, culinary school was evidently on the horizon -- something he had always wanted. and yet, he couldn't help but wonder if there was something else for him out there. it was his choice to not open any of those doors. he moved forward with the only lifestyle he had ever known -- cooking. he's successful, with the same struggles as his peers next to him despite what some might consider to be his nepotism. he graduates not at the top, but very high in his class.
it's in this period of time when he meets the woman he thought he'd love for the rest of his life, ironically enough -- at his very first restaurant job outside of high school. she was the hostess when he worked on the line, and would often sneak her orders of truffle fries when the head chef wasn't looking. after dating for nearly two years ( even if he was truly honest with himself: he'd thought about rings in a fleeting way by month five ) engagement came, before the unexpected -- rebecca, his new fiancé, was pregnant. their ceremony is small and quiet to avoid the stress of planning. and yet, it's just as special.
of course, thiago was thrilled -- they were jumping into their future after all, but he hadn't anticipated this part. the decision to move to the states doesn't come very long after, eventually settling down in san varano, which is both close to her parents and his uncle ( also a chef ) and a new audience for his food.
rebecca goes into labor while he's behind the line of a rush at his uncle's resturant, the silver vine, that feels like it's never ending. he's twenty-six, and he's staring in the face of his daughter for the very first time -- the most perfect being in the world. they name her julia.
the next couple of years are a blur, as time does get away from onesself when they're raising a child. When julia is two, thiago's uncle announces his retirement and that he intends for thiago to take over the restaurant. he accepts, even if he knows that many of the chefs he's worked with for years will look at him differently. after all, he's building something.
but, his entire world come's crashing down when his wife doesn't come home from a visit to her parents. instead, thiago gets a call from the hospital. his wife was in a collision with a drunk driver -- and she died from the wounds she sustained. just before thirty, he was the owner of a restaurant that was climbing by the day in his leadership, a father of a toddler, and a widower.
he moves to the tower on the seventh floor six months ago after staying with his uncle, unable to keep living in their house -- where he hoped to spend the rest of his life. he just needed some time to get his feet back underneath him, so he could create a stable enough life for julia. she's now six year old -- sassy, confident and really beginning to come into her own.
although his uncle made the silver vine, thiago took it in a new direction -- helped it blossom into a new identity. he's a different man now: quieter. and yet, he's the closest that he's been to stable in a very long time. that is, until there's a death in the building he and his daughter have finally begun to call home.
𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒.
thiago is a bit more reserved than the usual head chef, but he knows when to command the room and the kitchen when he has to. he is full of adrenaline from the start of his day to the end of his day.
he's grateful to have such a positive relationship rebecca's parents -- who remain extremely active in their granddaughter's life after their daughter's passing. between the two of them and fedé, his uncle, thiago's grateful for the support system he's had as his daughter grows up.
thiago has a huge crush on josie, who lives a couple of floors below. it's a scary thing for him, considering all he's been through -- but he can't ignore how comfortable he is around her.
MORE TO COME.
