MasterChef Australia is back for 2024 and alongside 22 new contestants, Jean-Christophe Novelli joins the kitchen as part of the all-new judging lineup.
From mentoring aspiring chefs to heading some of the world’s most-esteemed Michelin-star restaurants, Jean-Christophe brings a wealth of experience to Australia’s favourite cooking show.
“Australian cuisine has a remarkable reputation on the world stage, and it will be a great privilege to meet and mentor the country’s top home cooks on their journeys to greatness,” the chef told Ten ahead of his first MasterChef season.
As Jean-Christophe continues to share valuable guidance for this year’s chefs, many have become more curious about his culinary career.
Who is Jean-Christophe Novelli?
Jean-Christophe Novelli is a French chef, restauranteur, and television presenter.
The 63-year-old made his first foray into the world of food as a teenager, scoring his first professional role at 20 years old as a personal chef for the Rothschild family.
After moving across the channel to England in the early 1980s, Jean-Christophe worked in several luxury hotel restaurants before establishing his own restaurants with locations in London, France, and South Africa.
In 2005, the French chef rose to fame alongside former MasterChef UK judge Gary Rhodes as the Head Chef of Hell’s Kitchen and has since made a number of guest appearances on UK morning show The Morning.
The same year, Jean-Christophe also established the Novelli Academy – a cooking school based out of his 14th-century manor home in Hertfordshire, England.
“I love mentoring. I love watching people doing well, and I love watching people who don’t do well [because] very quickly that I can actually conduct them to change. I love giving tips,” he told Chattr.
Who is Jean-Christophe Novelli’s wife?
Jean-Christophe Novelli has been married to Michelle Kennedy since 2008.
The couple share three children; Jean (born 2008), Jacques (born 2012), and Valentino (born 2016).
The celebrity chef is also father to DJ and singer Christina Novelli, whom he shares with his first wife Tina.
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