Little Hunter affair with lawyers: Evans
Celebrity chef Pete Evans has broken cover over the Little Hunter affair that has seen his name associated with a failed business, a $769,000 creditors bill and a closed restaurant.
Melbourne’s Little Hunter was opened in February by a parent company that has subsequently sold the restaurant to a new entity, with many common shareholders, and put itself into voluntary administration. Last week, the restaurant closed.
Pete Evans says he too is out of pocket after the Little Hunter affair.
Evans, from Sydney, invested in the restaurant but was not a shareholder. He subsequently appeared on the share registry of the new company that emerged operating Little Hunter restaurant, Junior Hunter Pty Ltd. His involvement was via a private company, P. Evans Investments Pty Ltd.
The saga began in August, when suppliers and creditors were informed via email that Little Hunter Pty Ltd intended to sell the restaurant. Throughout it, Evans has maintained his ignorance of the corporate shuffling and involvement of his investment company.
By August's end, Junior Hunter had taken over the glamorous Little Collins Street basement restaurant and the original parent company had appointed a liquidator.
Evans told The Australian today he is not only owed money advanced to the restaurant for a chef's wages, but that he has seen no repayment of his initial investment.
In a statement to The Australian, Evans said:
"(I) provided, in good faith, a substantial sum of money to Little Hunter Pty Ltd in the setting up of the Little Hunter restaurant, and provided the services of its first executive chef, Gavin Baker." Baker left the restaurant around May.
"(I have) not received any reimbursement of these initial payments, nor been paid for Gavin's services. At no stage did I agree to be a director of the business, and no shareholder agreement was ever agreed.
"At no stage was (I) involved in the running, operation, or decision-making of the business, and was certainly never consulted about the decision to wind it up, sell its assets and form Junior Hunter Pty Ltd.
"At no stage did (I) ever consent to being a shareholder of Junior Hunter Pty Ltd, or authorise anyone to allocate shares to (me), or enter (me) with ASIC as a shareholder in that company."
Evans said a director of Junior Hunter Pty Ltd, Brett Louis, had, on October 14, given his lawyers a written undertaking that he will immediately remove his company from the ASIC register of members.
"Despite this, they have yet to do so."
Evans, best known for his high-rating role on Channel 7's My Kitchen Rules, is believed to be out of pocket more that $100,000. Evans said the matter is now in the hands of his lawyers.
Source: The Australian, 29 October 2013
