Jean-Christophe Novelli, a familiar face on TV, has built a career many aspiring chefs could only dream of. The French chef, currently appearing on ITV's The Heat alongside former Love Island star Olivia Attwood, has spent decades at the top of the culinary world after leaving school at just 14 years old.
His journey has taken him from a bakery in northern France to cooking for the Rothschild family, earning four Michelin stars, and becoming a familiar face on television. But despite his success, the 65-year-old refuses to look back for too long, always focused on what's next.
Upbringing
Born in Arras, northern France, Novelli left school at 14 and started working in a local bakery. While many would see that as an unconventional start, he has described it as the moment his life really began. Reflecting on his younger years, Novelli admitted he struggled to find where he belonged. He told The Senior: "I was born when I was 14 years old," explaining that before then he felt "like a tourist with a sat nav who's disconnected."
He has often joked that he was kicked out of school because he was "so bright that no one could understand me", but says everything changed once he stepped into a professional kitchen. Working as a baker gave him confidence and purpose. Using all five senses every day, he discovered a passion that has never left him. He said the kitchen is the only place where "nothing scares me, nothing stops me," and added that it was also where he finally felt accepted. "I loved it because I had been accepted," he told the publication. He added: "I grew and discovered that really, that was the most important moment of my life."
Building an International Career
Novelli's career progressed quickly. By the age of 20, he was working as a private chef to the Rothschild family before moving to the UK in the early 1980s. Over the years, he worked in some of Britain's best-known kitchens, eventually earning the first of his four Michelin stars as Chef Patron at Gordleton Mill in Hampshire. He also received Egon Ronay's Best Outstanding Dessert award before becoming head chef at the Four Seasons Hotel on Hyde Park Corner in London.
His success continued with the opening of Maison Novelli in Clerkenwell in 1996, and he later expanded his restaurant business across the UK and internationally. Today, he still runs Novelli at City Quays in Belfast and the Novelli Academy Cookery School at his Hertfordshire home, which he founded with his wife Michelle more than 20 years ago.
Even after decades in the industry, Novelli says he's always looking for ways to improve. Speaking about his attention to detail with The Senior, he joked that staff at his Belfast restaurant call him "the French Dyson" because he never misses anything. "It's because I don't miss any crumbs. I want more. I go under the sofa. I go everywhere."
A Familiar Face on TV
Alongside his restaurant career, Novelli has become one of television's best-known chefs. He joined the judging panel on MasterChef Australia in 2023, sharing the screen with Andy Allen, Poh Ling Yeow, and Sofia Levin. During one series, Meghan Markle also made a guest appearance in the kitchen while visiting Australia with Prince Harry.
More recently, viewers have been able to watch Novelli on ITV's The Heat, where he continues to share his expertise with both contestants and audiences at home. In addition, the star has appeared on Hell's Kitchen and Culinary Genius.
Family Life and Charity Work
Novelli has been with his wife, Michelle Kennedy, since around 2005, and together they share three sons, Jean, Jacques, and Valentino. Before meeting Michelle, the celebrity chef was married twice. He shares his eldest child, daughter Christina, with his first wife, Tina, while his second marriage was to South African model Anzelle Visser.
Away from television and restaurants, Novelli and Michelle have become passionate supporters of children's charity Lifelites because of their own family experiences. Their son, Valentino, is autistic and non-verbal, and the couple became patrons after seeing the difference specialist technology can make for children with complex needs. In 2024, Jean-Christophe and Valentino visited Keech Hospice to see how the charity's equipment supports young people and their families.
Alongside their charity work, Michelle also helps run the award-winning cookery school while continuing her passion for portrait and illustration art.
