Couples paid thousands of dollars in deposits to a now failed company once controlled by Seasonal Garden Cafe’s Silvia Hart
Following the closure of Hahndorf’s Seasonal Garden Cafe, it has been revealed that wedding deposits were paid to a collapsed company with the same owner.
Deposits worth thousands of dollars for weddings at a Hahndorf cafe were paid to a company which later collapsed and whose director claims is not related to her wedding venue.
Couples have scrambled to find new venues after learning on Thursday that the Seasonal Garden Cafe was to close its doors on the weekend leaving up to nine weddings in limbo.
At least two brides-to-be only learned the popular cafe, operated by Silvia Hart, was closing when they read advertiser.com.au potentially costing them thousands in deposits.
Four couples have told The Advertiser they each paid $3000 to secure weddings at the Main Street cafe in November and March.
Two couples gave The Advertiser copies of their deposit invoices for November and December last year on Seasonal Garden Cafe letterhead, business address of 100 Main Street and bank account details for Maerhuev Pty Ltd.
Another couple told The Advertiser that their January invoice also had account details for Maerhuev.
Ms Hart is sole director and shareholder of Maerhuev which was placed in liquidation in July by Federal Court order after she failed to pay a $55,000 produce bill.
Ms Hart has maintained that Maerhuev was separate to the Seasonal Garden Cafe business.
“Maerhuev is completely separate to The Seasonal Garden Cafe in Hahndorf — they’re completely different entities,” she told The Advertiser on July 24 after the Federal Court hearing.
“There is no threat to weddings booked at the venue.”
On July 12 a bride’s mother sought assurances from Ms Hart via email that her daughter’s wedding was secure after the paper reported Maerhuev was subject of a winding up application.
“I would rather you be honest with us now so we have time to look at a new location …”, the mother wrote.
Ms Hart replied that the cafe at Hahndorf was not the “same entity” as Maerhuev, that the daughter’s wedding “will be fine” and that the venue was “secure from any legal proceedings”.
A copy of the daughter’s invoice in April this year showed bank account details in the name of The Seasonal Garden Cafe, not Maerhuev.
Ms Hart registered a new business The Seasonal Garden Cafe on February 20.
Liquidator Tim Mableson of KPMG wrote to creditors on August 21 that Ms Hart had informed him that Maerhuev did not “own or operate” the Seasonal Garden Cafe at Hahndorf.
“The director claims that this business (cafe) was always owned and operated by her in her personal capacity as a sole trader,” he said.
He said could not “refute” her claims regarding ownership of the business given that at the time of his appointment there were not active bank accounts in the name of Maerhuev and that the lease and licences for the cafe were in her name.
“Prima facie notwithstanding it appears that at the date of my appointment the business is owned and operated by the director in her personal capacity as a sold trader, there are number of matters that still require further investigation,” he said.