The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes season 2: Kiwis with early-onset dementia take over Ben Bayly’s Origine

The second season of The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes features Kiwis living with young onset dementia. Photo / TVNZ

The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes is back with a second season, as chef Ben Bayly guides a new group of 10 volunteers living with dementia through learning how to run a restaurant. Amid the show’s release on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+, Bayly reveals what he wants viewers to take away from the heartwarming show.

For many people with young onset dementia, the most difficult part is coming to terms with the diagnosis.

“They’re dealing with the mental side of it, where, ‘Holy s***, what’s the rest of my life going to look like now?’” Ben Bayly tells the Herald.

“‘We’ve worked all our lives, we’ve paid our taxes, we’ve got plans and grandchildren’, and all that stuff is chucked in the garbage can, and it’s heartbreaking.”

He’s had to confront that “heartbreaking” reality while making the second season of The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes. Bayly’s own grandmother had dementia, and he admits filming the show “affected me more than I expected”.

“They are so brave. They are so f***ing brave,” he says of the show’s cast, all of whom have been diagnosed with some form of the disease. What he wants viewers to see is that dementia affects everyone differently.

Ben Bayly pictured with volunteer Lois in the kitchen at Origine. Photo / TVNZ

The first season of the show, based on the original British format, followed a group of volunteers as Bayly mentored them at his West Auckland restaurant The Grounds.

One key difference this season is that most of the cast are younger, having been diagnosed with dementia under the age of 65. And while some are still able to work, others have had to give up their careers. We meet Sandra, 59, a former fashion buyer; former journalist Innes, 60; Tevita and Wendy, both 58, who miss being able to cook for their families; and rugby league legend Kevin Tamati, 71, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2021.

Visiting the set of the show for a lunch service, it quickly becomes clear that everyone here isn’t just smiling for the cameras, barely noticeable during filming –- they’re genuinely happy to be here.

Over three courses, the kitchen and front-of-house staff show off their skills in preparing and serving food and bartending. One crew member comments that very few “mistakes” are being made today, and they’re right. It’s like any other mid-week lunch service at a busy restaurant in Auckland’s city centre, except that the team of people serving us today have one thing in common: a diagnosis that’s forced them to put their lives on hold.

“One of the biggest things – this is a theme that I’ve seen – is that they feel less than, and they don’t feel human any more,” Bayly says.

“They just need to be treated normally, first of all. It’s not about ignoring the issue, but sometimes you might have to say something a couple of times. Being stimulated, spending time talking, all these things are going to slow down dementia. You don’t have to be a doctor to see it ... just spending time and the simple things like being active, physical and mental activity, it’s going to benefit the person.”

Ben Bayly returns for the second season of The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes alongside business partner and front of house expert Chris Martin and executive chef Mike Shatura. Photo / TVNZ

In the show’s first episode, the friends and families of volunteers visit the restaurant for a meal, and Bayly says the families are “rapt” to see their loved ones taking part.

“Most of the time, these guys are full-time carers for their loved ones, so for them to have a break, for them to have a meal cooked for them is really rare. That’s the other issue with dementia, is that it’s not just the patient – it’s the families as well.”

Bayly says he’s “seen their confidence grow” throughout filming.

“I’ve seen their engagement increase every time they’re in the kitchen or on the floor. Yes they’re fatigued, yes, they’re doing stuff outside their comfort zone ... I see a light, I see a spark in them.

“What they’re doing is showing us that someone tells you you can’t do something, you just give them the middle finger and you do it.”

It’s not just the volunteers who have learned something from the experience.

“I’ve learned a lot about being mindful and being in the moment and I’ll look across and I’ll look in this person’s eyes and I go, ‘I’m here right now with you and this is awesome’,” he reflects.

“I’ve been challenged, and I think I’ve grown as a person, and I’ve only got them to thank for that.”

The cast of The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes takes over Ben Bayly's Origine. Photo / TVNZ

What is early-onset or younger-onset dementia?

It’s estimated that more than 5000 New Zealanders have early-onset or younger-onset dementia, according to the Younger Onset Dementia Aotearoa Trust.

It’s defined as dementia diagnosed in a person younger than 65, though they can start experiencing changes and symptoms associated with dementia from their 50s or even their 40s. Those symptoms include changes in personality, mood, memory, problem-solving, or organisational and planning skills.

Senior dementia adviser at Dementia Waikato Janine Appleby says it can take up to four years to be diagnosed.

“A lot of it gets put down to maybe treating anxiety and depression initially, and particularly with women, a lot of it gets put down to menopausal symptoms as well,” she tells the Herald.

“With young-onset dementia, it may not look initially like short-term memory loss like you might see with Alzheimer’s or vascular dementias – it’s not initially the memory loss that you see, it might be unexplained changes in mood or personality.

“It might be that they sometimes lose some quite complex thinking skills that they’ve always been very good at before ... so it’s noticing changes from their norm.”

That might look like getting into the car to take a familiar journey and blanking on their route, or struggling to find the words they want to say.

Appleby says there’s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to supporting someone with early-onset dementia.

“It depends on that person’s circumstances – whether they’re still working or not, the age of the children at home, whether they’ve still got elderly parents that they may be supporting, whether they’re driving or not ... there’s so much environmental and contextual stuff that will go into how that person might be supported.

“Fundamentally it’s the same sorts of things that we talk [about] with all people around living well with dementia – still taking good care of your brain health, staying physically active, keeping a really good routine ... staying socially connected as much as possible.”

For more information, resources and support, visit Dementia New Zealand’s website here.

The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes starts 7.30pm on Monday October 14 on TVNZ1 and TVNZ+