According to Allegra’s online biography, “Mario & Allegra Perez met when they began working together in an Italian restaurant in Santa Monica in 2000.

In 2008, they started their first restaurant, Tortuga Bay, which is in Inglewood and features authentic dishes from Mario’s hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. In 2019, Mario & Allegra decided to recreate a similar type of restaurant in which they met: California-Italian cuisine for the neighborhood and families to gather and enjoy locally-sourced meals.”