Tiana

Grew Up… poor but happy in New Orleans with her loving parents and best friend, Charlotte. Tiana’s father, a hardworking soldier, dreamed of someday owning his own restaurant called Tiana's Place, but sadly passed away before succeeding. Before his death, however, he passed on his love of cooking and strong work ethic to his daughter. As he tells Tiana, dreams are all well and good, but “you got to help it along with some hard work of your own, and then, yeah, you can do anything you set your mind to.” 

Living… in a constant daze of work. Ever since her father died, Tiana has been running around non-stop, trying to scrape together as many pennies as she can to make Tiana’s Place a reality. In addition to waiting tables at two local diners, she also takes on as much freelance catering as she can.

Visiting… the bayou. Thanks to a smooch gone wrong at Charlotte’s ball, Tiana is now a frog. She’s also stuck with fellow amphibian Naveen, an irresponsible prince who thought a kiss from Tiana would break evil Doctor Facilier's curse and turn him back into a human. Obviously, it didn't. 

Profession… a waitress, but hopefully not for much longer. Tiana expects the extra shifts and the lack of sleep to pay off soon. 

Interests… cooking. Tiana is a fantastic chef. Just try her gumbo, and you’ll understand.

Relationship Status… too focused on work to think about romance. “Ain’t got time for messing around, and it’s not my style,” she says. While Charlotte is giddy about settling down with Prince Charming, Tiana wants to make her dreams come true on her own. No man can replace hard work and focus. 

Challenge… saving enough money to buy Tiana’s Place. Fortunately, Naveen has offered to pay for her restaurant if she helps him break the curse. Unfortunately, frogs aren’t seen as credible restaurateurs, so Tiana must first find a way to return herself and Naveen to their human forms before Doctor Facilier wreaks even more havoc. People may think Tiana’s crazy, but she never doubts herself. She lives by a simple motto: “Fairy tales can come true. But you gotta make them happen, it all depends on you.” Even something as unusual as being transformed into a frog won’t stand in her way. Tiana is determined to achieve her dreams whether she has to run, hop, or swim to make it happen.

Personality…motivated, diligent, and practical. But most admirably, Tiana’s also open to change. She’s not looking for love, but when she accidentally finds it in Prince Neveen, she’s willing to risk everything to keep it. Because success is nothing without friends and family to share it with.