Monica Galetti (née Faʻafiti, born August 1975) is a Samoan-born New Zealand chef. She is a former judge on the BBC competitive cooking programme MasterChef: The Professionals and chef proprietor of Mere in London.[1] She was senior sous-chef at Le Gavroche in London. As well as appearing as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals from 2009 to 2021, she has presented Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby with Giles Coren since 2017.

Monica Galetti
Galetti (left) assisting Michel Roux Jr. while Olly Smith narrates MasterChef Live 2009
Born	Monica Faʻafiti (1975-08-26) August 26, 1975 (age 47) Pago Pago, American Samoa
Spouse	David Galetti
Children	1

Early life

Galetti was born in American Samoa, and was initially raised by two aunts in Upolu as her mother had moved to Auckland, New Zealand, for work.[2] At the age of eight, Galetti moved from Samoa to Wellington, New Zealand, and lived there with her parents and five siblings.[3][4][5] In the early 1990s she studied for a diploma in hospitality at the Central Institute of Technology, Upper Hutt.[5]

Career

After completing her studies, Galetti worked at Lower Hutt restaurant Timothy's. The owner sent her to cooking competitions in Australia, America and Europe, and she began to look for a position in London by sending her CV to top restaurateurs. The first offer she received was from Michel Roux Jr – a beginning position as first commis at his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche, well below her position in Wellington as chef de partie.[5] She accepted the offer and moved to London in 1999. She worked rapidly through the sections of the kitchen and became senior sous-chef, a position she held until 2015.[6][7][8] She was the first woman to hold such a senior position at the restaurant.[5]

While working for Roux, she launched and was Head Chef of the restaurant Le Gavroche des Tropiques in Mauritius.[9]

She was a judge on the BBC series MasterChef: The Professionals from 2009 to 2021 and has appeared as a presenter on other food-related television programmes.[10][11]

In 2017, along with her husband David, she opened a new restaurant in London called Mere. This was achieved with backing from Westbury Street Holdings chairman Alastair Storey.[12]

Galetti serves as a UK Tourism Ambassador for Samoa.[1] She appeared in the BBC’s radio programme Desert Island Discs on 31 January 2021.[13]

In 2022, Galetti was named as one of the judges for the Platinum Pudding, a competition to create a pudding for Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee

Publications

• Galetti, Monica (2012). Monica's Kitchen. London: Quadrille Publishing. ISBN 978-1849491037.
• Galetti, Monica (2016). The Skills: How to become an expert chef in your own kitchen: 120 recipes, tips and techniques. London: Quadrille Publishing. ISBN 1849497648.
• Galetti, Monica (2021). At Home: my favourite recipes for family & friends. London: Aster. ISBN 1783254874.

Platinum Pudding Competition

In January 2022 it was announced that Galetti would sit as a judge on The Platinum Pudding Competition, a nationwide baking competition launched on 10 January 2022 by Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Mason and The Big Jubilee Lunch to find a new pudding dedicated to Queen Elizabeth II as part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.[14][15]

Personal life

In 2004, Galetti married French-born sommelier David Galetti, the Head Sommelier at Le Gavroche.[16] They have one daughter, born in 2006.[2]

References