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Monica Galetti

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Monica Galetti
Galetti (left) assisting Michel Roux Jr. while Olly Smith narrates MasterChef Live 2009
Born
Monica Faʻafiti

(1975-08-26) 26 August 1975 (age 49)
Pago Pago, American Samoa
SpouseDavid Galetti (m. 2004)
Children1

Monica Galetti (née Faʻafiti, born 26 August 1975) is a Samoan-born New Zealand Chef. She is a judge on the BBC competitive cooking programme MasterChef: The Professionals and was the chef proprietor of Mere in London before its closure.[1][2] She was senior sous-chef at Le Gavroche in London. As well as appearing as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals from 2009 to 2024 she has also presented Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby with Giles Coren and Rob Rinder since 2017.

Early life

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Galetti was born in Samoa, a Polynesian island country, and was initially raised by two aunts in Upolu as her mother had moved to Auckland, New Zealand, for work.[3] At the age of eight, Galetti moved from Samoa to Wellington, New Zealand, and lived there with her parents and five siblings.[4][5][6] She attended Naenae College[7] In the early 1990s she studied for a diploma in hospitality at the Central Institute of Technology, Upper Hutt.[6]

Career

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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.[6] 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.[8][9][10] She was the first woman to hold such a senior position at the restaurant.[6]

While working for Roux, she launched and was Head Chef of the restaurant Le Gavroche des Tropiques in Mauritius.[11]

She was a judge on the BBC series MasterChef: The Professionals from 2009 to 2021, before she was replaced by Anna Haugh citing she felt it necessary to prioritise her family and her restaurant team, and has appeared as a presenter on other food-related television programmes.[12][13][14] Though, in March 2023, Galetti announced she would be returning as a judge on the show.[15]

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.[16] Mere closed in 2024.

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.[17]

In March 2023, Galetti announced she would be returning to MasterChef: The Professionals as a judge, after she stepped down from the role in 2022.[18][19]

Publications

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  • 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 978-1849497640.
  • Galetti, Monica (2021). At Home: my favourite recipes for family & friends. London: Aster. ISBN 978-1783254873.

Platinum Pudding Competition

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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.[20][21]

Personal life

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In 2004, Galetti married French-born sommelier David Galetti, the Head Sommelier at Le Gavroche.[22] They have one daughter, born in 2006.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Chef Monica Galetti – MasterChef Elite". samoafood.com. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Masterchef's Monica Galetti is closing her London restaurant Mere".
  3. ^ a b "Kiwi chef: Moving from Samoa to NZ was the saddest time of my life". The New Zealand Herald. 17 June 2014. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  4. ^ "My Secret Life: Monica Galetti, chef, 35". The Independent. 13 November 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  5. ^ Narayan, Rita (21 November 2015). "Chef Monica Galetti on Samoa, Sean Connery, and her life in travel | Loop Samoa". www.loopsamoa.com. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d Jewell, Stephen (26 March 2011). "Monica Galetti: Kitchen mistress". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Galetti, Monica, (born 26 Aug. 1975), Chef Proprietor, Mere Restaurant, since 2017; television presenter". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2017. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U289060. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Le Gavroche – The Team". Le-gavroche.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  9. ^ Rayner, Jay (22 January 2011). "Michel Roux Jr and Monica Galetti: master and protege". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  10. ^ Manzoori-Stamford, Janie (20 March 2015). "MasterChef's Monica Galetti leaves Le Gavroche". Thecaterer.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Strictly come cooking with Masterchef's Monica Galetti". London Evening Standard. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  12. ^ BBC Two – MasterChef: The Professionals – Episode guide
  13. ^ "Monica Galetti to leave MasterChef to focus on restaurant and family". The Guardian. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Myrtle chef Anna Haugh to replace Monica Galetti as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals 2022". The Staff Canteen. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  15. ^ Dreyer, Pete (28 March 2023). "Monica Galetti returns to MasterChef: The Professionals for 2023". SquareMeal. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Monica Galetti to open Mere in January 2017". Thecaterer.com. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Desert Island Discs: Monica Galetti, chef and restaurateur". BBC News Online. 31 January 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Monica Galetti to return to MasterChef: The Professionals". The Staff Canteen. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  19. ^ Dreyer, Pete (28 March 2023). "Monica Galetti returns to MasterChef: The Professionals for 2023". SquareMeal. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  20. ^ "The Platinum Pudding Competition | The Judges". www.fortnumandmason.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  21. ^ Emma.Goodey (1 June 2021). "Plans announced for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend 2022". The Royal Family. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  22. ^ "The Team". Le Gavroche. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
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