Simon Gault: Fame, Failure, and the Moment Everything Changed (Part 2)

In Part 2 of Daniel’s conversation with Simon Gault, the pace accelerates as Simon moves from ambitious young restaurateur to one of the most recognisable names in New Zealand food and then begins to question what that success is really costing him.

Simon tells the story of buying Bell House at just 22, grinding for years to turn it into a destination restaurant, and using competitions, awards, and sheer stubbornness to force attention his way. From there, he takes the leap into Auckland’s Viaduct, riding the chaos of the Whitbread Round the World Race, surviving brutal reviews, financial pressure, and near collapse before bouncing back again through instinct, timing, and a refusal to quit.

The episode moves into an extraordinary run of global experiences: selling his restaurant at the right moment, cooking on superyachts, being flown to San Francisco to cook a private audition dinner that landed him working for Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and finding himself cooking for the Spice Girls before being offered the chance to open restaurants in London and New York. Simon reflects openly on the opportunities he took, the ones he walked away from, and the two decisions he still regrets.

Back in New Zealand, the story turns to scale, television, and visibility building multiple restaurants across the country, becoming a judge on MasterChef, fronting major TV series, and slowly drifting further away from the kitchen and closer to boardrooms, crisis management, and people problems. He speaks candidly about the pressure, ego, burnout, and the moment health forced a reckoning: a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, major weight loss, and a shift in priorities after becoming a father.

The episode closes with Simon stepping away from restaurants entirely, choosing presence over prestige, and finding renewed purpose at Gault’s Deli by teaching, cooking, sharing knowledge, and embracing failure as part of the craft. It’s a rare, unfiltered look at what success really looks like once the lights go down.

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

Special thanks to our sponsors:
Upstock – Get your first month free at upstock.app/bacon
Hospitality New Zealand – The voice of Aotearoa’s hospitality industry. Find out more at hospitality.org.nz
Woodys Free Range – Get 15% off at woodysfarm.co.nz with the code BACONBUTTY

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