Catering firm Flying Chef has crashed and shut up shop.

Now the firm has lodged a petition with Supreme Court to wind the long-standing company up.

Flying Chef owner Sara Masters said the firm — which provided outside catering services — was a victim of the recession.

She added: “That’s exactly what it was — all we do is catering.”

But it is understood that popular bistro Bouchee, on Hamilton’s Pitts Bay Road, which was bought by Ms Masters two years ago, will continue to operate as it is a separate company from Flying Chef.

It is not known how many people have lost their jobs or what ongoing contracts Flying Chef had.

Ms Masters said: “I really don’t want to answer all that — this is very painful for me.”

Rumours about the viability of the catering firm, which Ms Masters has run for several years, began circulating several weeks ago.

Pembroke-based Flying Chef opened up the Azu Beastro at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo (BAMZ) in 2013 and ran Homer’s Cafe at Masterworks in the Botanical Gardens in Paget from 2011.

But its contract at Masterworks ended earlier this year, with the BAMZ contract changing operators some time later.

The petition to Supreme Court was presented by Flying Chef Ltd and will be heard before the court in the New Year.

The petition, handled by legal firm Marshall Diel and Myers, said that “any creditor or contributory of the said company desirous to support or oppose the making of an order on the said petition may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose and a copy of the petition will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the said company requiring the same by the undersigned on payment of the regulated change for the same”.

Anyone who wants to appear at the hearing, whether to oppose or support the petition, should notify Marshall Diel & Myers in writing before Thursday, January 22.