Administrators appointed at catering firm owned by celeb chef
Administrators have been appointed at Cookeze, the Lancashire-based event catering firm partly owned by acclaimed chef Nigel Smith.
Dean Watson, of the Manchester office of Begbies Traynor, and Neil Dingley, of Moore in Stoke, were appointed joint administrators of Cookeze Limited on March 24, after the company ceased trading, leading to 72 staff being made redundant.
The administrators are seeking interested parties who may be attracted by recent major investment in state-of-the-art commercial kitchen space at the 48,000 sq ft headquarters in Chorley.
The firm, which traded as Patisserie by Nigel Smith, specialised in ‘artisan patisserie’ and was founded in 2010 by Nigel Smith, a chef who has appeared on several cookery TV shows.
Flagship products included cakes, desserts, gateaux and scones.
Clients of the company included Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Jockey Club, Brasserie Blanc and Malmaison Hotels. Turnover last year was £1.5m.
Dean Watson, partner at Begbies Traynor, said: “COVID-19 has seen the sports-related events where the company excelled cancelled.
“The immediate cashflow challenge this presented, as well as recent significant investment in a high specification modern office complex and commercial kitchen equipment, has taken its toll.
“We are in the process of updating staff and providing information on how to claim for their entitlements and advising creditors of the position.
“In the meantime, we are looking for interested parties who may be strongly attracted by the fact it was, until very recently, a successful business with blue chip clients, talented staff and outstanding facilities.”
He added: “Sadly, this crisis will continue to severely impact many other similar events-based businesses who are not geared up to weather the storm over the Summer of 2020.”
Nigel has worked with many iconic chefs over the years, including Albert Roux and Anton Edelmann, and is acclaimed for his own eclectic range of cooking styles.
His restaurant at The Villa is regularly attended by celebrities and media.
