Our Story
Food Runs in Our Family
"EL SUEÑO DEL CHEF IRAM AYALA"
"THE DREAM OF CHEF IRAM AYALA"
El Bayú de Wela Sara is a Puerto Rican restaurant in Downtown Hollywood, FL and it has become famous among the strip for its weekend show, authentic "Taíno" cuisine (Puerto Rican native Indians), and friendly staff.
This restaurant has a past and has been in the making by Chef Iram Ayala to keep the name of his beloved grandmother, Sara. "She was the heart and soul of the family" are some of the words Cheft Ayala used to describe his inspiration for cooking at El Bayu.
"WELA" short for "ABUELA" (Grandmother) sowed regional seeds through her garden and found a great passion and love for cooking.
"Aquí se cocina con mucho amor y cariño".
These words became the motivation and inspiration for Chef Ayala to create traditional Puerto Rican dishes, which brings us today an unforgettable culinary experience for tourists and locals in Soth Florida.
"Cocinar con mucho amor y cariño, ese es mi ingrediente secreto"
Chef Ayala
Owner & Executive Chef
Iram Ayala
Born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Chef Ayala graduated from Culinary Arts in West Palm Beach, FL in 2003. Upon graduating, he worked for various 5 Diamond Hotels, such as St. Regis, Ritz Carlton, The Breakers Palm Beach, among others.
His passion for authentic Puerto Rican cuisine led him to open up his very own restaurant, "El Bayú de Wela Sara", in September of 2018 at Hollywood FL's Farmers Market. His popularity quickly grew due to the savory traditional homemade variety. In addition, "El Bayú's" reputation and demand exploded thanks to Chef Ayala's invention of vegan and vegetarian Puerto Rican dish versions, which allowed vegetarian, vegans, and diabetic people that had never tasted Puerto Rican dishes before to partake and enjoy a genuine "boricua" gastronomical experience.