“Australians don’t stand for nonsense – you can’t just throw chipotle mayo on a dish and call it Mexican, they’ll see straight past that,” says Los Angeles-raised Mark Tagnipez, a former head chef at both Mexican chain Fonda and at Andrew McConnell’s Supernormal.

Tagnipez has been tapped by Grant Smillie – a club, festival and radio DJ and the restaurateur behind Melbourne’s Ponyfish Island and Los Angeles hotspots EP & LP, Strings of Life and Grandmaster Recorders – for the head chef role at Smillie’s Californian-influenced venue Marmont.

When Marmont opens at Crown Riverwalk in the former Rosetta space on Saturday December 14, Tagnipez says we can expect food that is largely Latin American-influenced, but also draws on his Filipino heritage and his understanding of Melburnians.

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“I’ve been here for seven years now, so it’s about how we can make these Latin flavours accessible and approachable to Melbourne,” he tells Broadsheet. “To put it simply, my kids eat Vegemite and cheese quesadillas. Whilst it’s a little more complex, Marmont takes inspiration from that kind of approach.”

Tagnipez, who previously worked with Smillie at EP & LP, will be joined by Marcus Lubiato (ex-Studio Amaro) at the bar, and front-of-house leaders Nic Coulter (Commune Group) and Lorenzo Valdinoci.

They’ll work to create a sense of California cool, which Tagnipez says “is more about how something seems or appears, such as making something look and feel effortless when really there’s years of craftmanship and practice to make your offering excellent”.

We took some time to hear more about what the chef has in store when Marmont opens next month.

You’re from Los Angeles. What drew you to Melbourne?
I received a job offer to work at Fonda, which is where I worked from 2017 to 2018 and then more recently from 2023 to 2024. My initial impression of the country was that there were many spiders, snakes and the pollen is bad in parts. But to be honest, it took only two weeks to fall in love with the place thanks to one thing – Melbourne coffee.

Before I arrived here, I had never been introduced to food such as an HSP, and then to think just four hours prior [to trying my first HSP] I was having caviar and lobster rolls at Cumulus. It just proves that Melbourne is amazingly diverse, you can find any food from anywhere in the world here. Outside food, our kids have kept us here. It is an amazing place to raise a family.

What’s it been like reuniting with Grant on this project?
Grant and I have a great friendship and we learnt a lot about each other during our partnership at EP & LP. I love the guy, the dude’s a legend! We’re leaning into our artistry and creatively introducing Latin flavours in a way that feels familiar to Melburnians.

How will Filipino flavours appear throughout the menu?
My ethnic background is Filipino, however growing up in the Californian neighbourhood that I did, my parents couldn’t cook traditionally Filipino food. My Chicano neighbourhood has a strong Latin influence, so my mother cooked Mexican food with hints of Filipino flavours. That’s how I learnt to cook, and guests will experience this at Marmont.

Any dishes you’re particularly excited for people to try?
I’m really excited for Melburnians to try our take on the scalloped ceviche tostada and our crab pretzel with mud crab. Both consist of bursts of flavours and are bite-sized with contrasts of textures, layers and feels.

What do you foresee Marmont’s signature dish being?
Ultimately the people will tell us what this is. If I had to guess, I think people will love our fried chicken as we pair it with different types of sauces. I know Aussies love their seafood, so I think our raw fish selection will be a hit, too.

Reservations for Marmont are now open.