The all-star chef is now back for another series of MasterChef: The Professionals. Here's the lowdown on the talented lady…
Where is Monica Galetti from?
Monica was born in Samoa in the South Pacific, where she was raised by her aunts until she was eight-years-old.
She then moved to Wellington, New Zealand, where she lived with her parents and five siblings.
The television chef is still loyal to her roots, as she currently serves Samoa as the UK Tourism Ambassador.
Mum-of-one Monica is married to French wine expert David Galetti, who was the Head Sommelier at Le Gavroche – one of London's leading restaurants.
How did Monica Galetti’s career begin?
The experienced chef began her training at the Central Institute of Technology, Wellington, in the early 1990s.
When she was finished with her studies, she landed her first proper cooking job at a nearby restaurant, Timothy’s.
Her cooking impressed the owner so much that she was sent to cooking competitions across the world, including Europe.
This was perhaps what inspired her to start looking for a job in London, where she punted her CV to some of the top restaurants.
How did Monica Galetti become famous?
Her qualifications must’ve impressed Michel Roux Jr, who gave her a junior role as first commis chef at his two-star Michelin restaurant, Le Gavroche.
Since working at the fine dining establishment since 1999, she’s worked her way up to senior sous chef, a position she maintained until 2015.
Impressively, she was the first woman to land a senior role in the kitchens of the restaurant.
Where else may you know Monica Galetti from?
Although the chef has made many television appearances, her most notable has got to be her work on MasterChef: The Professionals.
Since 2009, the harsh but fair critic has put chefs through their paces on the TV cooking contest, where she hosts alongside Marcus Wareing and Gregg Wallace.
Monica has also featured on documentary Food and Drink in 2013 and the Great British Food Revival in 2012.
In the same year, she released her own book, Monica’s Kitchen, which was released by Quadrille Publishing.
Monica also co-hosts Amazing Hotels with Giles Coren.
Does Monica Galetti have her own restaurant?
Monica has a wealth of experience working at one of London’s most critically acclaimed fine dining establishments, and now she’s started a business venture of her own.
In early 2017 Monica opened a new restaurant in London alongside her husband David.
In March, the Masterchef judge unveiled her own establishment, Mere, on Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia.
The name is a combination of the French word for mum and the Samoan word for Mary, the name of Monica’s mother.
When is MasterChef: The Professionals on TV?
MasterChef: The Professionals kicked off on November 6, 2018 at 8pm on BBC Two.
As the show's name suggests, the contestants cook for a living, and over the course of the show, the group of hopefuls gets whittled down through various gruelling stages until one talented foodie rules them all.
It airs on Tuesday nights for seven weeks and is likely to run until Christmas.
Gregg Wallace, Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing will be doing the judging.
If you miss an episode you can catch up on the BBC iPlayer.
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