Monica Galetti

Monica Galetti (née Faafiti, 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. She was senior sous-chef at Le Gavroche in London. In addition to her role on MasterChef: The Professionals, she has also presented Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby with Giles Coren and Rob Rinder since 2017.

Early life Galetti was born in Samoa and was initially raised by two aunts in Upolu as her mother had moved to Auckland, New Zealand, for work. At the age of eight, Galetti moved from Samoa to Wellington, New Zealand, and lived there with her parents and five siblings. She attended Naenae College In the early 1990s, she studied for a diploma in hospitality at the Central Institute of Technology, Upper Hutt. She was the first woman to hold such a senior position at the restaurant.

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. Though, in March 2023, Galetti announced she would be returning as a judge on the show.

In 2017, she and her husband, David, opened a new restaurant in London called Mere. This was achieved with backing from Westbury Street Holdings chairman Alastair Storey. Mere closed in 2024.

Galetti serves as a UK Tourism Ambassador for Samoa.

Publications

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.

Personal life In 2004, Galetti married French-born sommelier David Galetti, the Head Sommelier at Le Gavroche. They have one daughter, born in 2006.