Michelle Anne Garnaut, AO is an Australian restaurateur and cook best known for her series of restaurants in China including M on the Bund, Glam, Capital M, the Glamour Bar and M at the Fringe.
After dropping out of Monash University, Garnaut travelled in Europe, including Greece and England, as well as the United States of America.
[2] She then went to London, where she worked at Leiths School of Food and Wine as one of the head chefs on the Orient Express.
[3] In an interview with Time Magazine, Garnaut remarked, "When I first arrived in Asia, I was in Hong Kong and got into a lift to go up to a restaurant on the seventh floor, where we were greeted by 20 Chinese guys saying 'Ciao' and singing 'O Sole Mio.'
[10] In 2006, Garnaut established The Glamour Bar on the floor below M on the Bund in the former Nissin Shipping Building.
The bar served as a lounge as well as a venue for M Group literary events[11] until its closing in 2014[12] In 2015, M Glam opened on the same floor as M on the Bund.
Even after opening, Capital M faced another challenge as it was forced to shut down for one week during the celebration for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
[citation needed] Garnaut's philanthropic work focuses on the Village People Project, which creates community bathhouses to improve the welfare of rural Chinese women.
[16] In 2018, Garnaut was awarded an Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to Australia-China relations as a restaurateur and entrepreneur, to the promotion of Australian food, film and design, as a supporter of literary and cultural programs, and as a role model".