Samoan-born New Zealand chef Monica Galetti is perhaps most widely recognised for being a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, which she has done since 2009. However, many within the industry will know her from her years working the stoves at Le Gavroche in Mayfair
Galetti, who moved to New Zealand when she was eight, studied for a diploma in hospitality before entering the industry. Initially she worked at Timothy’s, a restaurant in the Wellington city of Lower Hutt, where she rose through the ranks to become chef de partie. However, an offer in the late 90s from Michel Roux Jr to cook at his two-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche saw her up sticks and move to London to take on the lowly role of a first commis.
While at Le Gavroche, Galetti once again rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming a senior sous-chef; the first woman to hold such a senior position at the restaurant.
Having left La Gavroche in 2015, Galetti opened Mere (meaning ‘mother’ in French and pronounced ‘Mary’) with her husband David in Fitzrovia in 2017. A very personal project for chef (it’s named in honour of Galetti’s own mother), Mere draws not only on Galetti’s classic French cooking background, but also her Samoan heritage and her time living in New Zealand.
