Building, Breaking, and Becoming Ben Bayly (Part 2)

In part two of Daniel’s conversation with chef and restaurateur Ben Bayly, we pick up in Auckland, inside a small room at Origine, where the story turns from early graft to the bigger forces that shaped Ben’s career. This episode digs into the messy, unglamorous middle: starting out building with his brother to pay the bills, the French Café rejection, the TV auditions, and the long stretch running The Grove, Baduzzi and his first restaurant, The Grounds.

Ben talks candidly about burnout, building teams, letting go, handing over businesses, and the real cost of running multiple restaurants while trying to be a human being at the same time. He opens up about the volatility of the industry, the rising cost of everything, the value of landlords who actually have your back, and the constant pull toward new challenges. From Shanghai pop-ups to his upcoming Wellington opening, Ben explains why he still sees himself simply as someone who loves serving people — and why the ingredient, not the chef, is always the real hero.

Want to see Ben’s bacon butty creation? Head to www.ripplmedia.co.nz for photos.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

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Bacon Butty is made by Rippl Media — Daniel Todd, Karli Mitchell (Get Content.nz), Helen Lea Wall (Get Content.nz), Sofia Wenborn and Ricardo Ramirez.