Tookie Alvarez

**Tookie Alvarez** is a food vendor and acquaintance of Dex Parios.

## History

### Helping Dex

When Dex came to him looking for Baxter Hall, he told her that Baxter was bad news and she shouldn't try finding him. When she insisted, Tookie told her where she might find him.

### Stealing Randall's File

Dex enlisted Tookie's help when she learned where any possible evidence of Randall Tapper's wrongdoing would be kept. He posed as a janitor and broke into the building. He then got into a locked room and stole a file. On his way out, he was caught by Artie and a security guard and had to hand the file back over in order not to get arrested. However, when he got back to Dex, he showed her that he had a copy that he hid in his pants.

### Pop-Up Restaurant

After learning that CJ McCollum had liked his taco truck on Instagram, Tookie started to believe he'd grown beyond it and needed to open his own restaurant. When Dex asked him to come cook for the day at Bad Alibi, he took advantage of that and posted that he was doing a one-day pop-up restaurant. His assistant chef said a food critic might be coming, so when he saw Frank sitting at the bar, he believed Frank was the critic and sent him a very fancy meal. He also cooked for CJ McCollum when he came in and was delighted when McCollum posted about it on Instagram. When Tookie read a review that said that him opening a restaurant and abandoning the food truck would be a loss for food trucks, he decided that he owed it to Portland to keep the food truck.

### Truck Violations

Tookie's truck was inspected by Julius Kraft, who said he had permit violations and his truck would be shut down until he got them taken care of. He went to Cosgrove, hoping she could help expedite the process. They quickly bonded over their shared love of food, including the discovery that some mole sauce she'd had at a restaurant right after moving to Portland was his recipe. She agreed to help him. After his permits came through, he brought her some food, though she said it could be considered a bribe. Despite this, she ate the food and loved it. In return, she cooked a special recipe she'd created and brought it to his truck for him to try. He loved it as well. When she returned to the truck again, they both reminded each other that they're married and it's just about the food. Tookie showed her a recipe she'd inspired and she said that her friends call her Bobby.

### Helping Ansel

Tookie talked to Ansel when Ansel started looking into moving out. He asked Tookie why security deposits were so much and Tookie shared a story of a friend who burned down half a wall during a tiki party.

### Delivering Tacos and Helping Dex

At Dex's request, Tookie brought a box full of tacos to her house. When he arrived, he was surprised at the raging party. He then learned that Ansel had moved out. Tookie knew Dex was struggling with being alone in the house, but Dex wouldn't admit it.

After Dex finished her newest case and reunited her client with his lost family, Tookie told her she'd done a good thing and asked her if he'd have to avoid any more parties at her place. She then confessed to him that the quiet reminded her of the desert, with enemy combatants everywhere. He reminded her that it might not be the worst thing, learning to be on her own.

### Helping Ansel

Tookie agreed to help Ansel surprised Dex with a dessert. However, he was upset to learn Ansel was insisting on making Baked Alaska. Despite this, he helped. It was a very difficult process, but they managed to make the Baked Alaska, which they surprised Dex with at Bad Alibi.

### Running Bad Alibi

When Ansel became overwhelmed at Bad Alibi while Grey was gone, he called Tookie to help out. Tookie came in and cooked for some unhappy customers and then told the rest of the staff to shape up. When Bad Alibi received a bad review on Yelp, Tookie knew it was the unhappy couple, who had claimed to like his food while they were there. He knew he recognized them from somewhere and eventually figured out he'd done a catering gig for them in the past and they slammed him then. They ran a marriage retreat business and he and Ansel then went and egged their home to get some revenge.

### Partnership with Grey

Tookie, with Ansel's help, proposed to Grey that they form a partnership wherein Tookie parked his truck in the alley behind Bad Alibi and served food to Grey's customers. Grey initially chafed at the change, believing it was bad for his business and snapped at Tookie, causing him to back up his truck and leave, but after Ansel showed Grey the numbers, Grey realized it was good for business and invited Tookie to come back. They then toasted to the new relationship and Ansel's promotion to assistant manager.

### Octavia's Party

Miles hired Tookie to cater his mother's 70th birthday party. When Tookie learned that Miles' venue fell through, he offered to host it at Bad Alibi. Miles initially declined, but when he was unable to find a replacement venue, he agreed to let Tookie host the party. The party went well and the guests had a good time, despite an issue with the entertainment. However, after the party, Ansel came and told Tookie that Grey's gun was gone. Tookie went to Miles about it and Miles said he couldn't accuse anyone in his family. Tookie eventually called Grey, who said that he'd locked the gun in his safe, knowing that Tookie would throw a party.

### Helping Ansel Date

Tookie caught wind of Grey helping Ansel asked a girl he liked out on a date and decided to offer up his own advice, which conflicted with Grey's. After they both gave him all the advice they wanted, they took him to the frozen yogurt place and watched as he went inside to talk to Lila. He came back out quickly and said he had gotten too scared to ask her. They coached him again for a minute and sent him back in, where he asked Lila out. She accepted and Grey and Tookie watched from a distance as they had their first date.

### Separation from Laura

Tookie was upset when he learned that Laura had been arrested at a swingers' club with drugs on her. He went to the station to bail her out and turned down Dex's offer to let him beat up Franco Lopez, the man she was cheating with. He then bailed Laura out and left her at the station. Later that night, he started packing up his truck and told Grey he would have to leave because he was about to lose half of everything. Grey convinced him to stay and offered his support.

### Hiding Dex and Helping Ansel

When Dex was under investigation for the murder of Thomas Junes, Tookie helped hide her when the police came to Bad Alibi looking for her. He distracted Cosgrove while she slipped out the back and into his truck, then he drove her far enough that she could get into her car, where Ansel was waiting to drive her away.

Tookie overheard Ansel on the phone and believed he'd broken up with Lila, so he offered his help. He got Ansel to invite her over for dinner and helped him clean the house. When Dex arrived, Tookie updated Dex on the situation just before a knock sounded at the door. Ansel opened the door to reveal not Lila, but their mother.

## Relationships

### Romantic

He is married to Laura Alvarez. Their relationship seems at least somewhat tense, as Laura left quickly after making a delivery to Bad Alibi and Tookie noted that she was too dressed up for book club. He told Grey that they were dating when he first started his business. She wanted to get married, but he was more focused on building his empire. On the opening night of his business, she didn't come, making him realize he didn't want to build an empire without someone by his side. He proposed the next day.

Every half-anniversary through their marriage, until the final few years, Tookie and Laura went skinny dipping, which he said made them feel young again.

Tookie was devastated to learn that Laura had cheated on him and had been arrested for possession of a controlled substance while at a swingers' club. He went to the station to bail her out, but then left her, even though she begged for forgiveness.

### Familial

He has two children, whom he put through community college using the money from his food truck.

### Friendships

He and Dex are friends. When she needs help, she sometimes goes to him for information.

## Career

He owns and runs a taco stand in Portland. He claims to use free-range chickens, but he really buys everything on the cheap. He used to work as a sous chef at a restaurant named Arturo's, where he created a mole sauce. Then the owner claimed credit for the recipe, leaving him heartbroken and promising never to make mole again.

## Notes and Trivia

* At his stand, it costs him $.78 to make a taco that he sells for $4.

## References

1. ↑ Forget It Dex, It's Stumptown., 1x01
2. ↑ Family Ties, 1x04
3. ↑ Bad Alibis, 1x05
4. ↑ Dex, Drugs and Rock & Roll, 1x06
5. ↑ Dex Education, 1x09
6. ↑ The Past and the Furious, 1x11
7. ↑ Dirty Dexy Money, 1x12
8. ↑ The Dex Factor, 1x13
9. ↑ Til Dex Do Us Part, 1x14
10. ↑ At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles, 1x15
11. ↑ All Quiet on the Dextern Front, 1x16
12. ↑ The Dex Files, 1x17
13. ↑ All Hands on Dex, 1x18
14. ↑ At All Costs: The Conrad Costas Chronicles, 1x15
15. ↑ All Quiet on the Dextern Front, 1x16
16. ↑ The Dex Files, 1x17
17. ↑ The Dex Files, 1x17
18. ↑ Dex, Drugs and Rock & Roll, 1x06