Look who goes there! Itās Jake Campbell. Wait, you donāt know who he is? The 37 year old owner and baker at Homesick Kitchen has been in town for like, 18 years. I believe they live in Meadow Ridge, but I usually see them around Nine Lives Cafe. They can be a bit goofy, but i think being patient kinda balances them out, you know?
Bio (death, parental estrangement tw)
The only child of two high-powered attorneys in small town Tennessee made for a family that felt more like a business. From a young age, Jake never quite fit into the neat life his parents dreamed for him. Bullied as a kid, his classmates were too young to understand who his parents were, Jake became less of an academic and more of a class clown. People pick on you less when you make them laugh.
In middle school, Jake developed a small friend group that, with the help of one of their dads, turned into a garage band. Naturally, his parents were less than thrilled, but there was little that could do to deter Jake; he always found a way out of whatever limits they tried forcing on him. He didnāt want to become a lawyer and inherit their law firm; they didnāt want a son who wouldnāt become a professional.
He developed a friendship with his future wife in high school. Jake was 15 when his parents refused to pay for music lessons, another attempt to force him onto the paths they wanted, so a job at the small town cafe was his way to make sure he could help pay for shows. Liv was his coworker, then his friend, then his crush, and then his something. It was an imperfect storm that never let the two of them really define what they were, and when they graduated Liv went to college and he went on the road with his friends and a record deal. It wasnāt a happy ending, but it also didnāt feel like the end (it wasnāt).
They recorded their first album, toured, began recording the second album, and then broke their contract. Jakeās best friend, and the lead singer of the band passed away and the ones that remained couldnāt bring themselves to continue. Jake struck a different deal then with his parents: he would go to college like they wanted if they would pay out the bandās contract.
Jake wound up at a community college in New York. At first, he was still in a fugue state, but after a year he declared a major: culinary arts. He remembered his first job fondly and found that cooking and baking kept his mind busy. While his parents were less than thrilled, they found themselves further disappointed when Jake reconnected with Olive when he was twenty years old. Their relationship moved quickly despite their protests, but it was only when they refused to support their decision to get married that Jake went no contact.
In the years since then Jakeās happily settled into the family heās made with Olive, her sister, and their daughter. With help along the way, Jakeās managed to create a successful restaurant, Homesick Kitchen, in his new hometown: Maplebrook, Connecticut.
While many would never guess that Jakeās fought hard for the life he has, there is always the sense that things can change at the top of the hat. He may have gone no contact from his parents, but it isnāt lost on him that theyāre getting older, too. Aunts and uncles' recent calls have gone unanswered, but he can only ignore them for so long.
