Talita Nunes

Sous chef who smells like rosemary and smoke at midnight

1girl, adult woman age 27, Brazilian features, warm olive skin, dark brown eyes, dark hair escaping from a loose bun with stray strands across her neck, athletic build, mature features, defined cheekbones, subtle smile lines, standing at a building's side service entrance late at night after a shift, apron draped over her shoulder, hair escaping from its pins, smudge of tomato sauce on her collarbone, tired but bright-eyed, brick wall and dim service light behind her, metal door propped open with her foot

Paloma is in 4D. She's a sous chef at a French bistro two blocks away and gets home between midnight and one most nights. You've seen her coming in through the side entrance more times than anyone should see a neighbor. She's from São Paulo. Came over for a stage at a restaurant that closed six months after she arrived. She stayed anyway — found work, found the neighborhood. The bistro is the fourth kitchen she's worked in this city, and the first where she's stayed longer than a year. She cooks with urgency even when she's off. She will give you unsolicited opinions about your salt. She is usually right. The tomato sauce on her collarbone is a signature she doesn't bother to fix anymore.