The Young and the Restless Character Recap: Lola Rosales

Lola Rosales—this sassy, self-assured culinary genius has been putting the young in The Young and the Restless since her first appearance in September of 2018.

Who Is Lola Rosales?

Lola is the youngest child of Adrian and Celeste Rosales and the baby sister of Rey and Arturo. Owing to Adrian’s callous desertion of the family and Celeste’s subsequent struggle to maintain two jobs, Lola was primarily raised by Rey, whom she grew to resent for his authoritarian and overprotective ways.

Lola took the first available opportunity to leave her Miami, Florida-based home, and eventually made her way to the desert, where she found employment with a man who sold used cars.

She worked as both a mechanic and bookkeeper, but when sufficient pay was not forthcoming, Lola complained and received her walking papers. In compensation, she was allowed to choose a vehicle from a scrap heap. It was hers for the taking if she could get it to start.

To the man’s great surprise, Lola not only chose a large, hulking monstrosity but also cannibalized all the necessary parts to make it operational from the other junk cars.

After driving off the lot and briefly resettling, Lola transformed her new ride into a food truck that she named La Vida Lola. Afterward, she went to Genoa City, Wisconsin, where Rey and Arturo had each made a home.

Opposites Attract

Lola set up shop in the Jabot Cosmetics parking lot and soon had a loyal customer base who raved about her authentic Cuban creations. She briefly ran afoul of cocky Abbott scion Kyle, but the young man wound up being smitten by the feisty chef.

They began to date in earnest, though the courtship was complicated by her desire to save herself for marriage, the discrepancies in their social status, and the constant presence of Summer Newman, Kyle’s former lover.

While the two former issues were eventually settled, Summer remained a constant thorn in their side. When Lola caught the two kissing—an act that had been instigated by Summer – she immediately broke things off with Kyle and sought comfort with Abby Newman.

Not only had Abby become Lola’s new employer—the owner of Society, the high-end restaurant whose kitchen Lola rules—but she had also become one of the young woman’s closest friends.

After their heart-to-heart, Lola donned one of Abby’s spare jackets and found herself the victim of mistaken identity. But rather than a robbery, Lola was attacked and rendered unconscious by Abby’s love rival, Mia Rosales—Rey’s wife and Arturo’s lover!

When her body was discovered floating face down in the Abbott family swimming pool, Lola was rushed to the hospital, where doctors informed her family that she was in desperate need of a liver transplant.

And the only viable donor? Summer Newman! To sweeten the pot, Kyle offered to marry her if she would donate her organ. A nervous Summer insisted he had to give their union a chance for a year.

Desperate to save Lola, Kyle agreed and married his ex. However, the union proved short-lived. He eventually obtained a divorce and set up housekeeping with Lola. In time, the pair agreed that they should make their love official, and the groom-to-be arranged a spectacular wedding.

On the happy day, Lola was thrilled by the appearance of her mother—who had made herself a nuisance during an earlier visit—though the appearance of Adrian briefly marred the event.

But a lifetime of wedded bliss was not in Lola’s future. Instead, she spent her time refereeing Kyle and his former friend Theo Vanderway and worrying that Kyle and Summer were becoming more than co-workers.

Sure enough, Kyle eventually admitted that he had never quite gotten over his childhood sweetheart, and the revelation led to a separation and an inevitable divorce.

In its aftermath, Lola reaffirmed her commitment to opening her own restaurant—albeit in Miami—and found herself inexplicably drawn to Theo with whom she has shared many a kiss.