Update here: Vendors reach out to help couple; other couples report similar problems.
WEST TOWN — Deanne Fornelli and Nick Dilly were looking for a spot for their wedding and thought they found it: a venue at 2155 W. Hubbard St. in West Town.
"It had everything: an outdoor space, an exposed brick indoor space, access to multiple rooms and the flow looked really well. I thought, a Saturday in Chicago that's not booked, let's do it," Fornelli said.
Dilly paid $3,196 to Pure Kitchen Catering for a deposit in April, and then was set up for monthly payments of $1,917.62, which were paid in full in May, according to provided receipts for renting Hub Studio Loft.
Two weeks after finishing paying a total of $12,000 to Pure Kitchen Catering and $2,000 to Revolt Events LLC, Fornelli was informed that Hub Studio Loft would be closed down.
According to the owner of the building, "There is no Hub Studio Loft."
Now, says Fornelli, the couple is caught in an "absolute nightmare," unable to get back their $12,000 from their catering contract, after having gotten $2,000 back for a deposit to Revolt Events, LLC, also owned by Yates, owner of Pure Kitchen Catering.
"We are wanting an apology and a refund for this horrendous situation during a time in our lives that is supposed to be filled with love and time with family and friends," said Fornelli, a physician assistant who lives in Bucktown with Dilly, a lawyer.
This week, the couple canceled their wedding and decided to have a small ceremony with immediate family and close friends since their entire wedding budget was invested in Pure Kitchen Catering, Fornelli said.
Alisa Hauser details how the couple lost $12,000:
Joshua Yates, who owns Pure Kitchen Catering, relocated his business to an unknown location in recent weeks. He is currently the pitch man for a new fresh food delivery app, Eat Purely.
Yates did not return several requests for comment beginning on Tuesday nor did his lawyer, Peter Nabhani, until late Friday, when Nabhani issued the following statement.
"Pure Kitchen's owner, Joshua Yates, feels deeply saddened about the situation. He has assisted 100's of people in wedding preparations, and this is the first time that this type of thing has happened to him. His clients' events are always his top priority. This is a gut wrenching experience for him, in that he is without the personal resources to assist them, and has set up a GoFundMe campaign ..."
When asked how they feel about Yates' crowd-sourcing effort on their behalf, Fornelli said, "Why is he having others trying to fund this when he should be funding it, because he already has our money? It's a lot too late. We have been in communication since June about a refund.”
A Facebook page and website for Hub Studio Loft have disappeared. There remains a Twitter account @HubStudioLoft, which advertises the spot as "a new event space from the team behind Pure Kitchen and City View Lofts." A venue brochure describes 10,000 square feet of amenities.
While touring City View Lofts at 324 N. Leavitt St. in January, Fornelli was told by an event planner for that venue that that space was booked but recommended Hub Studio Loft, two blocks north.
Dilly signed an agreement with Pure Kitchen Catering in January to have a Sept. 12 wedding reception for 130 guests at Hub Studio Loft.
But in May, after the couple had paid in full, Yates told them that the venue would not be available because of issues with the building's owner, the couple said.
The couple was refunded for a $2,000 venue deposit, from Revolt Events LLC, which is also owned by Yates. According to Nabhani, "Problems arose with the landlord regarding a buildout and work that was to be done by the landlord on the HVAC and plumbing systems at the venue. Every effort was made to prepare the venue for the events that had been scheduled, including paying contractors almost $10,000.00 to perform work."
The owner of the building, Denis Vulich, was not immediately available late Friday to confirm Nabhani's statement, but previously Vulich said that there was no lease signed.
Vulich said Yates had a real estate broker who was "selling me on the hype that they would do such great things and put all this money into it."
Vulich said he allowed Yates to show the loft to potential customers while negotiating a lease this summer as well as stage photos there to market the space.
"We did everything in our power to help; they failed to perform and we rented out the space to another tenant," Vulich said.
With the loft they had paid for now unavailable, the couple were showed alternative sites by an employee of Pure Kitchen, they said. None were acceptable and they requested a full refund.
"They said they couldn't but could offer a refund of half, per the cancellation policy in the catering contract. We said, 'We aren't cancelling. You are.' Then they offered to cater a small party but had to 'clear it with the management taking over.' That never got cleared. We were then directed to his attorney," Fornelli said.
Nabhani said that, "after it was determined that there was an irretrievable breakdown in the relationship with the landlord, my client began to find alternative venues for all of the clients booked at Hub Studio Loft. Out of thirteen clients, only one couple, Nick Dilly and Deanne Fornelli, did not find a suitable alternate venue. The monies [$2,000] paid under the venue contract were reimbursed in full in June. This client also wanted to cancel the catering contract. Under the terms of the catering contract, the refundable amount was 1/2 of the monies paid, or $5,938.66. This was offered, but not accepted."
The Facebook page for Yates' Pure Kitchen company point to other distressed customers: "Are you open for business???? No one is answering the phone!" said one user.
Distressed customers take to Facebook after being unable to reach the catering firm. (Pure Kitchen/Facebook)
State records show that Pure Kitchen LLC is owned by Yates and LM Restaurant Group, led by restaurateurs Nicole and Stephan Outrequin. On Wednesday, Nicole Outrequin said that her company "has nothing to do with Pure Kitchen; we are LM Catering. We are completely separate entities."
Prior to July 9, Pure Kitchen Catering was the official caterer for City View Lofts. Outrequin said she took over City View Lofts' lease from Yates on July 9 and that Yates transferred all of his future clients to LM Catering.
When asked if City View Lofts/LM Catering would be honoring any of the events that were booked at the Hub Studio Loft, Outrequin said her firm is only responsible for events scheduled at City View Lofts.
Yates has moved on to be a co-founder and Chief Food Officer of Eat Purely, according to a Crain's story about the delivery app. Eat Purely is located at 451 N. Elizabeth St., the former address for Pure Kitchen.
Late Tuesday, Jeremiah Green, owner of Eat Purely, said there is no ownership connection between Yates' Pure Kitchen and Eat Purely, despite both ventures having the same address, the same chef, Sean Spradlin, and that Yates is now featured in media stories as the frontman for Eat Purely.
Dilly said he is considering options on whether to sue Pure Kitchen but first would like to hear from other couples by email.
RELATED: Help Offered for Couple Caught in 'Nightmare' Wedding Dispute
Joshua Yates, repping the Eat Purely app on TV, in a clip that has been removed from Eat Purely's Instagram. (Screenshot/Instagram)
A promotional photo for Hub Studio Loft (Provided).
Offiice for Eat Purely, 451-53 N. Elizabeth St. A sign tells visitors that Pure Kitchen is no longer located there. (DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser).
2155 W. Hubbard St., where Dilly and Fornelli's wedding was to take place. (DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser)
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