Ben Bayly grew up in Te Awamutu, his dad's side full of dairy farmers and his mum's full of Irish Catholics. He attended Te Awamutu College.[1]
Career
In September 2020 Bayly opened the restaurant Ahi, meaning fire in Māori, in Commercial Bay.[2] A few weeks later Tip Top the restaurant sent a “cease and desist” letter for the restaurant's usage of the name Trumpet as a dessert.[3]
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes
In 2023, Bayly, partnered by dementia expert Lynette Tippett, embarked on opening a pop-up fine dining restaurants staffed by volunteers all suffering from Parkinson's disease or early onset dementia and Alzheimer's.[4] In 2024, Bayly expanded the group to 10 working-age volunteers in his new restaurant - Origine Restaurant at InterContinental Hotel on 1 Queen Street, a walking distance from Ahi restaurant, Commercial Bay.[4]
Personal life
Bayly is married. He and his wife have children.[5] He embarked on becoming an advocate for degenerative diseases after his maternal grandmother passed away in 2022 from dementia.
