Celebrity chef Jo Seagar owes creditors over $1.6 mil

In February, Seagar revealed the business was on the market, and last month said no local suppliers were owed money. Photo / Supplied

Celebrity chef Jo Seagar's closed cafe and cooking school reportedly owes creditors more than $1.6 million.

In February, Seagar revealed the business was on the market, and last month said no local suppliers were owed money.

But the company which operated Seagar Cafe, Cook School and Kitchen Store - Winslow Trading Company Ltd - reportedly owes money to at least 56 creditors, according to stuff.co.nz.

Seagar and her husband Ross were joint directors of Winslow Trading Co, which went into liquidation on July 9.

A report by Deloitte showed the company reported having $2000 in the bank when it closed, stuff.co.nz said. Its bank accounts have since been frozen, it reported.

Unsecured creditors were owed $1.48 million, and secured creditors were owed $195,000, the website said.

The report did not list the company's assets, stuff.co.nz said.

Seagar has previously blamed the Canterbury earthquakes and an "impatient" Inland Revenue for the closure of her North Canterbury cafe and cook school.

Last month Seagar told NZME News Service local suppliers were not owed any money.

After the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, business fell by 75 per cent "overnight", she said in July.

Canterbury also lost around 1.5 million tourists, which the cafe and cook school relied heavily on.

Staff were kept on, on full pay, while the Seagars took in no income and battled to survive.

"We did the decent thing, but in hindsight we should have fired everybody and cut back, but we didn't and we are paying the price of that now," Ms Seagar said.

"We've had a great 10 years, a really thriving business, and then the earthquakes came.
"The Inland Revenue is not patient enough post-earthquake and they put us in receivership.

"We've actually been quite successful in trading and busy but not just enough to pay them."