Zayn Tino

A sunshine cook who radiates a warm and friendly light! He can be pretty chatty and loud so it's not hard to spot him in a crowded space...

## Gifts

### Loved

spicy dishes, vegetarian dishes, high quality crops, baked sweets, sunflower

### Liked

dairy products, relax tea package, sweetly simple moisturizer, bath bombs, gardening seeds

### Disliked

cheap tools, heavy meaty dishes, BLT sandwich

### Hated

failed dishes, bland food, alcoholic beverages

## Personality

Zayn is very outgoing and friendly right off the bat... unless the person comes off intimidating, then it will take a different turn. He's quite easily stiffened by people with a stern personality. Regardless, he will still try to be smiley and happy to a certain extent. It'll just be less natural.

Typically though, the blonde is very sunny and generous. It's not unusual to see him gifting homemade treats or sending food from behind the Bistro kitchen on his tab just to cheer someone up. He loves to meet new people and is often seen roaming around town to chat in his free time. Having specialized in clinic care in his youth, he has a particularly sharp memory for small details about everyone he's met. Don't be surprised if he asks about your taste profile! He loves to tailor and personalize foods where possible.

Prior and in the beginning of Toffee Town settlement, Zayn was very reserved with his sensitive side and was very prideful. He'd cover everything up with smiles and use dramatic displays as a distraction away from the topic. However, due to the influence of his friends here, he'd begun to mellow down. He will still be subtle with the negative ones if he hasn't warmed up to a person yet. However, he's now more genuine and true to his emotions. His impatient nature is also improving with time thanks to the relaxed and fun nature of the town. Despite that he's learning to be more humble, when it comes to cooking skills, he won't hesitate to boast it when given the chance...

## Background

Zayn was given up by his biological parents at birth. Unable to raise him due to financial difficulties, he was adopted by an elderly couple. His parents and the adoptive couple were close neighbours. After less than a year of giving him up, his parents moved away to avoid debt collectors.

He lived a middle class lifestyle with two seniors and an older adoptive brother called Vincenzo. The two siblings enjoyed helping with running a family-owned, mixed chiropractor service. However, in contrary to Vince who was trained to do the actual work, he preferred to be behind the desk and manage client profiles and the technical, backstage side of things. At a young age, he acquired decent customer service skills. His outgoing personality was a big hit to help the business grow. On the side, he also watched his grandma cook as a kid. As he grew, he insisted on helping out. Even if considerably young, he picked things up fast and became the main family member for preparing the three meals. His passion for cooking easily shined through. Despite his dislike for the taste of meat, he was willing to spot-taste and cook meat dishes for the rest of his family who loved meat very much.

His grandparents naturally passed away. The two siblings decided to close the clinic for good. While Vince traveled faraway to spread the practice to other parts of the world, Zayn preferred to stay in the local area and seek to be under the mentorship of a well-respected local chef. In the first year, he would overwork himself so he can catch up to his mentor as soon as possible. After figuring that it was not a healthy way to go through the advice of his friends, he stopped putting his body through unnecessary strain. He took care of himself but never stopped training seriously.

After a few more years, he felt like he wasn’t learning new things anymore. He desired to learn more and broaden his experience. He had always admired his older brother for being so brave and traveling so far. As if his wishes were heard, he got his hands on the flyer to Toffee Town. It honestly sounded too good to be true. It might have even been a child’s prank – all of the star and flower scribbles made him doubt. But he thought, during his break time, he had heard multiple customers talk about Toffee Town in the restaurant before. The words “warm meals made fresh” and “cook your own” really made his heart skip beats. A new town, a new culture... That means more dishes to learn! He decided to take the chance. After a two-week notice to quit his local job, he packed up all the essentials and boarded the Eclair Express train to Toffee Town. The feeling of excitement and anticipation took over Zayn. His limbs felt faint as soon as he took his seat. His new chapter begins!

## Toffee Town Life

Zayn reunited with his adoptive brother, Vincenzo, in the beginning of Winter. The reunion came rocky at first, but were quickly made up for.

By the end of Winter, Zayn admitted his love for his roomie when asked of his opinion to be together in a romantic manner.

## Quotes

"What's one dish that you love and you've grown up alongside with?"

"Ahaha, the bandaid is just a fashion statement!"

"Look!" *Points at simple, common things with a childish glee.*

## Trivia

- He is a vegetarian but willing to consume some animal products (ex. eggs) or spot-taste meat dishes just to make it right. He has grown used to tasting meat learning cooking from his grandma and mentor. It's more of a taste preference rather than for moral reasons.

- He got the scar from juggling knives as a kid. He’s worn a band-aid to cover it up all these years, but he has finally found courage to wear his scar as is.

- Hates bad hair days. He loves to look his best, especially with hair.

- Intolerant of alcohol and gets drunk extremely easily so he avoids drinking.

- Can get quite touchy-feely as a friend... expect lots of hugs and pats!

- Occasionally speaks in a somewhat melodic way if he's really happy