Bakewell Burners are proudly Made In New Zealand
The first time I saw a Bakewell was in a friend’s backyard one summer’s day in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. The air was still, and the sun was warm, but by evening, there was a chill that is similar to the climate in the Bay Area of California: beautiful, hot days with crisp evenings and mornings.
There were three, beautiful Puka Trees; tropical-looking large-leaved evergreen trees that are endemic to New Zealand, surrounding the lawn with paths leading to the outdoor dining area and separate living space. I noticed the fireplace from a distance, and the design sparked my interest.
I walked over to have a closer look, and ran my hand across the matte black surface (the fireplace was unlit) and was impressed with the craftsmanship. I noticed the small etched plaque, to the right of the fire box, showing the brand as “Bakewell Burners.” I called out to my friend and asked with curiosity, “What is a Bakewell Burner? I’ve never heard of this brand before?”
In response, he proudly told us that they’re made in New Zealand (my home country), and just down the road from “the Mount” in Te Puna. My friend went on to say how he had the same reaction when he first saw one and knew the Bakewell fireplace was the perfect solution for his outdoor entertaining area – the style, on-wheels, quality, and function. The brick lining in tandem with the engineering makes the fireplace-oven throw heat forward, while the sides remain cool-to-the-touch.
As the temperature dropped into the early evening, we lit the fire, and placed the Bakewell at the end of the dining table for a warm, inviting dinner in the cool air. We cooked shrimp and chicken skewers on the hot cast-iron plate until they were crispy on the outside, yet juicy on the inside and served them on a colorful farm-to-table salad.
Afterwards, we rotated the hearth to face the lounge furniture, stoked up the fire, and moved the Bakewell to the edge of their slightly elevated deck where we opened bottles of wine, continued to laugh, tell stories, and spend time together in warmth and comfort.
I noted the name of the brand, and when back in California, I searched for a place to purchase one, but found they were unavailable in America. That initial spark led to a collaboration with the designer, and I am proud to now offer Bakewell Burners in America in exclusive, limited quantities.
– Mark McGinty, Co-Founder and CEO
The beauty of the Bakewell Burner starts with the design and craftsmanship.
Bakewell Burners Outdoor Fireplaces were originally designed and engineered in 2016 by Wayne Bakewell. Bakewell wanted to create a stylish fireplace that would last, was movable between different outdoor entertaining areas, and multi-functional for cooking. After exhaustive searching, he couldn’t find the right solution for his space. The options were far too large, extremely heavy, difficult to position, non-performing, cost-prohibitive, or just didn’t look right. So, the engineer from the super yacht industry used his design expertise to build the perfect fireplace.
The beauty of the Bakewell Burner starts with the design and craftsmanship. The material used is a thick, marine grade aluminum which is durable, weatherproof and premium quality. He stayed up one night sketching out the design.
The next day, he cut the pieces out of cardboard to test the concept. When approved, he cut the aluminum sheets, and built the first one himself. The next step was to solve was the inadequacy of heat transfer of the traditional shape of fireplaces. As a practical New Zealander, Bakewell knew that he couldn’t accept this type of inefficiency. So, he designed the fireplace with a heat deflecting plate that is used in tandem with genuine fire bricks to throw the heat forward, instead of sending it up the chimney.
Bakewell Burners is a family-run business. Their burners have been developed by a family that has always enjoyed living in the great outdoors. From camping, fishing, BBQing and of course socializing.