Chef Monica Galetti – Trailblazing Samoan-Born Culinary Leader | MasterChef Judge & Restaurateur
Early Life, Cultural Roots & Culinary Identity
Full Name: Monica Faʻafiti Galetti
Born: 26 August 1975, Pago Pago, American Samoa
Nationality: Samoan-born New Zealander, currently residing in the UK
Monica Galetti is one of the most respected and recognizable figures in modern British gastronomy. Born in Pago Pago, American Samoa, she spent her early years on the island of Upolu in Samoa before moving with her family to Wellington, New Zealand at the age of eight. Her upbringing in the Pacific deeply shaped her cultural and culinary identity—a mix of warmth, resilience, and communal food traditions that later influenced her fine dining style.
Her early exposure to home cooking revolved around resourcefulness, community, and love. In Monica’s family, the kitchen was the heart of the home—a space where stories were shared, and generations bonded over bowls of steaming food. Grandparents, parents, and children often cooked together, relying on oral tradition rather than recipes written down. This environment encouraged a sense of intuition in cooking, a reliance on memory, taste, and feeling. She frequently helped prepare staple Samoan dishes such as palusami (taro leaves with coconut cream) and oven-roasted breadfruit, absorbing not only the techniques but also the reverence for food’s cultural and emotional power.
The Galetti household placed enormous value on hospitality and togetherness—virtues that were especially celebrated during large communal meals and cultural gatherings. These experiences of shared meals, where food was prepared for the joy and nourishment of many, laid the foundation for Monica’s hospitality ethos. Food was never just sustenance—it was a way to show love, mark milestones, and preserve identity.
This early grounding in Samoan culinary customs, coupled with her later exposure to the structure and precision of Western kitchens, would become the hallmark of her cooking philosophy: soulful yet technical, generous yet composed. Monica’s passion for food was born in those island kitchens, where firewood ovens and family laughter shaped her worldview long before Michelin stars or MasterChef titles came into the picture.
🏫 Education & Early Career
Galetti pursued hospitality studies at the Central Institute of Technology in Upper Hutt, New Zealand. She excelled early in her career, winning local and national culinary competitions. Her dedication and drive set her apart even among more seasoned cooks. Her first professional kitchen job was as a chef de partie at Timothy’s Restaurant in Lower Hutt. The work was rigorous, but Monica flourished, using every opportunity to refine her technique and broaden her understanding of culinary discipline.
Driven by ambition and a desire to challenge herself internationally, Monica began seeking opportunities abroad. She applied for kitchen roles in London, hoping to break into the competitive world of European fine dining. Her breakthrough came when she submitted her CV to Le Gavroche, one of the UK’s most prestigious French restaurants, run by the renowned Michel Roux Jr.
🍽️ Culinary Breakthrough at Le Gavroche
In 1999, Monica moved to London to join Le Gavroche. Initially hired as a commis chef, she entered a kitchen where the pressure was relentless and expectations were sky-high. But Monica’s Pacific strength and New Zealand work ethic proved invaluable. Her resilience, precision, and leadership qualities quickly became evident, and she steadily rose through the ranks.
Within a few years, Monica achieved a significant milestone—becoming the first woman to be promoted to senior sous-chef at Le Gavroche. Her success shattered gender barriers in one of London’s toughest kitchens. As senior sous-chef, Monica played a critical role in maintaining the restaurant’s Michelin-starred standards. She mentored junior chefs, led service during high-stakes dinner services, and oversaw menu execution with discipline and creativity.
In 2005, she was appointed head chef of Le Gavroche Tropiques in Mauritius, where she led a team in a completely new environment. The experience allowed her to further hone her leadership skills while introducing a more tropical influence into her culinary style. After a year abroad, she returned to Le Gavroche, where she remained until 2015. Her 12-year tenure under Michel Roux Jr. was marked by excellence, innovation, and a growing desire to bring her own voice to the fore.
🍝 Founding Mere – A Culinary Homage to Heritage (2017–2024)
In 2017, Monica opened her flagship restaurant, Mere, in Fitzrovia, London. The name “Mere” was a tribute to her mother and symbolized the feminine strength that defined her culinary journey. It also played on the French word for mother, perfectly capturing Monica’s multicultural influences.
Mere was a deeply personal project. Monica designed the menu to reflect her South Pacific heritage, her New Zealand upbringing, and her classical French training. Dishes often featured ingredients like taro, coconut, and tamarind, reinterpreted with the finesse of a Michelin-trained chef. The result was a menu that felt both comforting and avant-garde, nostalgic and forward-looking.
Under Monica’s leadership, Mere quickly garnered praise from critics and diners alike. It earned a spot in the Michelin Guide and became a sought-after dining destination for those seeking refined, emotionally resonant cuisine.
Despite its acclaim, Monica announced the closure of Mere in April 2024, citing rising costs and shifting post-pandemic realities in the restaurant industry. The closure marked the end of a chapter, but not the conclusion of Monica’s influence on the British culinary scene.
🎥 TV & Media Presence
Monica Galetti is perhaps best known to the wider public as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, a role she first took on in 2009. Her honest critiques, no-nonsense demeanor, and ability to identify raw talent made her a fan favorite. While her stern persona earned her the nickname “Scary Monica,” her mentorship, empathy, and occasional moments of softness revealed her true dedication to helping young chefs grow.
In 2022, she took a brief hiatus from the show to focus on family and business, returning in 2023. Beyond MasterChef, Monica co-hosted the popular BBC Two travel and hospitality series “Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby” alongside Giles Coren and later Rob Rinder. The show saw Monica visiting some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, exploring their operations, and immersing herself in diverse cultures.
Her media presence helped expand the public’s understanding of the food world beyond the plate—focusing on hospitality, storytelling, and the emotional labor behind exceptional dining experiences.
📚 Author & Culinary Ambassador
Monica Galetti has authored three cookbooks:
- Monica’s Kitchen (2012): A collection of recipes from her personal and professional life.
- The Skills (2016): A guide to fundamental cooking techniques for home and aspiring chefs.
- At Home (2021): A pandemic-era project celebrating home cooking and family.
A fourth cookbook is expected in 2026, further exploring her fusion of traditional Samoan flavors with modern European cuisine.
As a Tourism Ambassador for Samoa, Monica proudly promotes her homeland and its rich culinary traditions. In 2022, she was also selected as a judge for the Platinum Pudding Competition, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
🏆 Legacy & Personal Life
Monica married David Galetti, a respected sommelier, in 2004. Together, they built a family and professional partnership, raising a daughter born in 2006. Their shared love of food and hospitality formed the backbone of Mere and many of their joint media projects.
Monica’s personality—initially seen as brash and demanding—has matured into one of emotional intelligence, mentorship, and leadership. She has become a champion for diversity and inclusion in the kitchen, advocating for women, immigrants, and underrepresented cultures in fine dining.
From Le Gavroche to television studios, from cookbooks to closing down her own restaurant with dignity, Monica Galetti remains a symbol of strength, discipline, and grace in the culinary world.
A Global Chef Rooted in Soul & Skill
Monica Galetti stands as one of the most influential and inspirational chefs in the UK culinary landscape today. Her journey from the tropical kitchens of Samoa to the Michelin-starred establishments of London is nothing short of extraordinary. With deep cultural roots and a humble beginning, Monica has successfully fused her Pacific Island heritage with classical French techniques to create a style uniquely her own—refined, soulful, and emotionally resonant.
Her career has been defined not only by her technical prowess but by her unwavering integrity and commitment to mentorship. She broke gender barriers in one of the toughest kitchens in Europe at Le Gavroche, eventually becoming the first woman to rise to the position of senior sous-chef. Later, she charted her own course by opening Mere—a restaurant that not only served food but told her story through each plate. Her presence on MasterChef: The Professionals and Amazing Hotels brought culinary education and global hospitality into millions of homes.
Monica’s influence extends far beyond the kitchen. She represents resilience, cultural pride, and quiet leadership in a world often dominated by noise. Her legacy lies in inspiring future generations to embrace their origins, push boundaries with courage, and lead with empathy. Monica Galetti has shown the world that success doesn’t always shout—it often speaks in the quiet language of excellence, humility, and unwavering heart.
