French chef and restaurateur Jean-Christophe Novelli is best known locally for being a judge on MasterChef Australia. Reflecting on the important women in his life, the 64-year-old says he views his first marriage as a βrecipe that went wrongβ, and shares how he met his second wife in an airport, and the close relationship he has with his adult daughter.
Jean-Christophe Novelli: βI have always believed in marriage β¦ When I am with someone, I am all in and will die for that person.βCredit: Peter Tarasiuk
My maternal grandmother, Germaine, was born in Normandy, France, and had three daughters. During World War II, she escaped the Germans by walking almost 1000 kilometres from her home town of Arras in northern France to the Pyrenees. My mother, Monique, was seven years old and was carried on her 12-year-old auntβs shoulders.
My paternal grandmother, Louisa Novelli, was born in Piedmont, Italy. She was a great cook and spoke with her eyes. She could only communicate in Italian. She was a brave lady who walked five kilometres every day to the hospital where she worked. She taught me how to make tomato sauce, and always made fresh gnocchi and agnolotti. She passed away when I was 15.
Mum is 94. She had polio at age five, and was bed-bound until she was 16. She went through hell and is a very resilient woman. She had four children and worked as a seamstress, while my dad, Jean, worked as a labourer. I am the eldest. I have two brothers [aged five and 12 years younger] and one sister, Marie-Pierre, whoβs 2Β½ years younger.
I have vivid memories of Mum walking me and my sister to school and then being struck with such pain that she could no longer walk properly and collapsed to the ground. Mum didnβt panic; itβs an image that has stayed with me. That night she was on her feet and cooking again.
I was in charge of picking up a loaf of bread from the bakery 200 metres from home when I was young. I would look in the window and make eye contact with the girl selling the bread. I got a job there when I was 14. The girl ended up giving me a kiss on the cheek; she was older than me.
Novelli (right) with fellow MasterChef Australia judges Andy Allen, Sofia Levin (second left) and Poh Ling Yeow.Credit:
I was 10 years old when a girl I liked told me we couldnβt be together because I wanted to become a chef. She was lovely but said she wanted to be with a real man with a real job!
As a teenager, I was in love with singer Donna Summer. She was my first crush and I would kiss the poster of her every morning when I woke up. I also adored Italian actress Sophia Loren.
