Monica Galetti

One of the best-known female chefs in London, Monica Galetti was born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand. After qualifying as a chef she came to London to work for Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche in 2000. She progressed rapidly, becoming the first female sous chef at Le Gavroche and then Michel's Head Chef at Le Gavroche Tropiques in Mauritius in 2005. She has now returned to London and works at Le Gavroche on a part-time basis to facilitate her other commitments. Over the past couple of years she has become a familiar face on television, as the inimitable presenter and judge on BBC2's popular MasterChef: The Professionals. Monica has contributed to both of the recent successful books from the series; this is her first solo cookbook.