Monica Galetti

Monica Galetti is one of the best-known female chefs in the UK. As well as working at Michel Roux Jr’s Le Gavroche restaurant she has become a regular on TV. Perhaps best known as one of the judges on MasterChef: The Professionals, she has also fronted Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby and appeared on a range of food and lifestyle programmes.

Born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, Monica developed an early interest in food. She studied hospitality and trained as a chef in Wellington before entering cooking competitions around the world. She received an offer from Michel Roux Jr to work as first commis at his two-Michelin starred Le Gavroche. Monica worked quickly through the kitchen ranks to become the first woman to be senior sous-chef in the restaurant’s fifty-year history. She was also appointed head chef and launched Le Gavroche Tropiques in Mauritius.

Whilst at Le Gavroche Monica also worked alongside Michel on television, most notably as a MasterChef judge where her professional, no-nonsense yet approachable style won over audiences. After over a decade at Le Gavroche, Monica left the restaurant to set up her own venue, the acclaimed Mere.

Away from the kitchen she has also appeared on shows Further Back in Time for Dinner, The One Show and Pointless Celebrities. She has also written three books, Monica's Kitchen, a collection of her favourite recipes, and The Skills: How to become an expert chef in your own kitchen, which combines recipes with the tricks of the trade needed to elevate domestic cooking to another level. In At Home, Monica shares her most beloved recipes for relaxed home cooking, arranged in inspiring menus for breakfast, quick weeknight meals and family get-togethers.