Terms & Conditions
Terms and Conditions
Effective Date: 01-01-2025
1. Agreement to These Terms
These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of the My Chef Shirley website, including its content, contact forms, and other online features collectively referred to as the “Site.”
The Site is operated by American Nutrition LLC, doing business as My Chef Shirley, referred to in these Terms as “My Chef Shirley,” “we,” “us,” or “our.”
By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Site.
2. Website Terms and Service Agreements
These Terms govern your use of the Site. They do not replace the terms of a specific personal-chef service, event, cooking class, nutrition consultation, lactation consultation, gift certificate, or other engagement.
Services booked through My Chef Shirley may be subject to additional terms provided in a written quote, proposal, invoice, service agreement, cancellation policy, gift certificate, or other written communication.
If these Terms conflict with the terms of a specific written service agreement, the service-specific agreement will control with respect to that service.
3. Eligibility and Information You Provide
You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into an agreement to request or purchase services through the Site.
When submitting an inquiry or requesting services, you agree to provide complete and accurate information. This may include information about:
- Your identity and contact information
- Your location
- The number of people being served
- Dietary preferences and restrictions
- Food allergies
- Health-related service needs
- Event dates and requirements
- Kitchen access and conditions
You agree not to impersonate another person or submit information that is false, misleading, fraudulent, or unlawful.
4. Service Descriptions, Pricing, and Availability
We make reasonable efforts to keep the information on the Site accurate and current. However, service descriptions, sample menus, team members, prices, service areas, and availability may change.
Prices described as “starting at,” “estimated,” or similar language are not final quotes. Unless expressly stated otherwise, displayed service fees may not include groceries, specialty ingredients, travel, rentals, additional staff, taxes, gratuities, or other project-specific expenses.
Submitting an inquiry does not create a service agreement, reserve a date, or guarantee that a chef or other professional will be available.
A booking is confirmed only after:
- My Chef Shirley accepts the requested engagement in writing;
- The parties agree to the applicable scope, pricing, and service terms; and
- Any required deposit or payment has been received.
We may correct an inadvertent pricing or service-description error before confirming a booking.
5. Deposits, Payments, Cancellations, and Rescheduling
Payment requirements will be stated in the applicable quote, invoice, or service agreement.
Depending on the service, a deposit or advance payment may be required to reserve a chef, event date, consultation, or class.
Cancellation, rescheduling, refund, credit, and deposit policies may vary by service. The policy provided with the applicable quote, invoice, or service agreement will control.
We may decline, postpone, or cancel a service when reasonably necessary because of:
- Chef or professional availability
- Illness or emergency
- Severe weather or unsafe travel
- Unsafe or unsuitable working conditions
- Inaccurate or incomplete information
- Nonpayment
- Harassment, threatening conduct, or unlawful activity
- Circumstances outside our reasonable control
Any refund or credit resulting from such a cancellation will be handled according to the applicable service agreement and governing law.
6. Dietary Restrictions and Food Allergies
Clients are responsible for providing complete and accurate information about food allergies, intolerances, dietary restrictions, medical diets, and ingredient concerns before service begins.
We will discuss whether a requested accommodation can reasonably be provided. However, food may be prepared in a client’s home using shared kitchens, equipment, utensils, appliances, storage areas, retail ingredients, or products manufactured in facilities outside our control.
Unless My Chef Shirley expressly agrees otherwise in writing, we cannot guarantee that a meal, ingredient, kitchen, or preparation environment will be completely free from a particular allergen or the possibility of cross-contact.
Clients with severe or life-threatening allergies must notify us before booking and should consult an appropriate healthcare professional regarding whether the service is suitable for their needs.
Failure to disclose an allergy or dietary restriction may limit our ability to provide the requested service safely.
7. Nutrition, Lactation, and Health Information
General information published on the Site is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a medical condition and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.
Visiting the Site or submitting an inquiry does not establish a dietitian-client, lactation consultant-client, healthcare-provider, or other professional relationship.
Nutrition counseling, lactation consultation, and other professional services are provided only after the appropriate professional has accepted the engagement. Those services may be subject to separate intake forms, disclosures, consents, recommendations, and professional-service terms.
Always consult your physician or another qualified healthcare provider regarding a medical condition, prescribed diet, medication, pregnancy-related concern, infant-feeding concern, or other healthcare decision.
Do not disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of information you have read on the Site.
8. Gift Certificates
My Chef Shirley gift certificates may be redeemed only for eligible services offered by My Chef Shirley and are subject to:
- The certificate’s available balance
- The services and restrictions stated on the certificate
- The recipient’s location
- Chef or professional availability
- Scheduling requirements
- Current service pricing
- Any certificate-specific terms disclosed at purchase
Unless the certificate expressly states otherwise, groceries, specialty ingredients, travel, rentals, taxes, gratuities, and other expenses may be separate from the certificate’s face value.
If the cost of the selected service exceeds the certificate balance, the recipient is responsible for paying the difference.
Gift certificates are not redeemable for cash except where required by law. Any expiration date or other redemption limitation will be disclosed as required by applicable law. Purchased gift certificates will not be subject to dormancy, inactivity, or service fees prohibited by law.
A lost, stolen, damaged, or improperly transferred certificate may be replaced only when we can reasonably verify the original purchase, remaining balance, and person entitled to use it.
Promotional certificates, donated certificates, discounts, and complimentary offers may have terms different from purchased gift certificates.
Virginia requires expiration information to be disclosed when a gift certificate expires and prohibits dormancy, inactivity, and service fees on most purchased gift certificates. Federal regulations also generally require gift-certificate funds to remain available for at least five years.
9. Communications
When you provide your email address, telephone number, or other contact information through the Site, you authorize us to use that information to respond to your inquiry, discuss requested services, provide quotes, and communicate about a current or proposed engagement.
Providing contact information for an inquiry does not automatically enroll you in recurring promotional email or text-message marketing.
Marketing communications, when used, will be sent in accordance with applicable law and the preferences or consent you provide. You may unsubscribe from promotional email communications using the instructions in the message.
10. Acceptable Use of the Site
You may use the Site only for lawful purposes.
You may not:
- Use the Site to violate a law or another person’s rights
- Submit fraudulent, deceptive, threatening, harassing, or unlawful material
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site, its server, or related systems
- Introduce malware, harmful code, or disruptive technology
- Interfere with the operation, availability, or security of the Site
- Circumvent access restrictions or security measures
- Collect personal information about other users without authorization
- Falsely represent an affiliation with My Chef Shirley
- Copy or use Site content for a competing commercial service without permission
- Use automated tools in a manner that overloads, disrupts, or damages the Site
This section does not prohibit ordinary indexing by search engines or other automated systems that comply with our published crawler instructions and do not interfere with the Site’s operation.
11. Intellectual Property
The Site and its original content—including its text, photographs, videos, graphics, logos, branding, page designs, recipes, menus, downloadable materials, and other creative content—are owned by or licensed to American Nutrition LLC/My Chef Shirley and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.
You may view and use the Site for your personal, noncommercial use.
Unless you first receive written permission, you may not:
- Reproduce or republish substantial portions of the Site
- Sell or commercially exploit Site content
- Remove copyright, trademark, or ownership notices
- Use the My Chef Shirley name, logo, or branding in a way that implies endorsement
- Copy photographs, recipes, menus, or other materials for another business
- Modify or create derivative commercial materials from Site content
“My Chef Shirley,” its logo, and related branding may be trademarks or trade names of American Nutrition LLC.
12. Reviews, Testimonials, Photographs, and Other Submitted Material
Information submitted through a private inquiry form will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and used to evaluate or respond to the inquiry.
We will not treat private dietary, health, household, or contact information as a public testimonial merely because it was submitted through the Site.
When you separately provide a review, testimonial, photograph, video, or other material and expressly authorize us to publish it, you represent that:
- The material is truthful;
- You have the right to provide it;
- Its publication will not violate another person’s privacy or intellectual-property rights; and
- We may reproduce, display, resize, format, or edit it for length and clarity without materially changing its meaning.
We may remove or decline to publish submitted material at our discretion.
Testimonials describe individual experiences and do not guarantee that every client will receive the same result.
13. Third-Party Websites and Services
The Site may contain links to or integrations with third-party websites and services, including mapping services, social-media platforms, review platforms, analytics providers, payment processors, scheduling systems, and embedded content.
Third-party websites and services are operated independently and may have their own terms and privacy practices.
We do not control and are not responsible for the content, availability, security, accuracy, or practices of third-party websites. Accessing a third-party service is at your own discretion and subject to that provider’s terms.
A link to another website does not necessarily mean that My Chef Shirley endorses that website, its operator, or everything published there.
14. Privacy
Our collection and use of personal information through the Site are described in our Privacy Policy.
Please review the Privacy Policy before providing personal, dietary, health-related, or household information through the Site.
15. Website Disclaimer
The Site and its content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.
Although we make reasonable efforts to maintain the Site, we do not warrant that:
- The Site will always be uninterrupted or error-free;
- Every item of information will always be complete or current;
- The Site will be free from every harmful component;
- Every service described will be available in every location; or
- Use of the Site will produce a particular result.
Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or legal right that cannot lawfully be excluded.
16. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, American Nutrition LLC, My Chef Shirley, and their owners, employees, contractors, and service providers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages arising solely from:
- Your use of or inability to use the Site;
- Your reliance on general information published on the Site;
- A temporary interruption of the Site; or
- A third-party website linked from the Site.
This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot legally be limited or excluded.
It also does not replace or modify the rights and obligations contained in a separate service agreement between My Chef Shirley and a client.
17. Suspension or Restriction of Access
We may restrict or suspend access to all or part of the Site when reasonably necessary to:
- Maintain or repair the Site;
- Protect the Site or its users;
- Investigate suspected misuse;
- Comply with legal requirements; or
- Address a violation of these Terms.
Provisions concerning intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, governing law, and other provisions that by their nature should survive will remain effective after access ends.
18. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to the Site, our services, our business practices, or applicable law.
When we update the Terms, we will post the revised version on the Site and change the effective date at the top of the page.
Unless otherwise stated, revised Terms apply prospectively from the posted effective date. Your continued use of the Site after that date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
Changes to an already accepted service agreement will be handled according to that agreement and will not be made merely by changing these website Terms.
19. Governing Law
These Terms and your use of the Site are governed by applicable federal law and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.
Any dispute concerning use of the Site will be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, unless applicable law requires otherwise.
Nothing in this section prevents either party from pursuing a claim in an appropriate small-claims court when legally permitted.
20. Severability and Waiver
If a provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted, and the remaining provisions will continue in effect.
A failure by My Chef Shirley to enforce a provision on one occasion does not waive the right to enforce that provision later.
21. Entire Agreement Regarding Website Use
These Terms and the Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and My Chef Shirley concerning your use of the Site.
They do not replace a separate written quote, proposal, invoice, gift certificate, consent form, or service agreement relating to a booked service.
22. Contact Us
Questions about these Terms may be directed to:
American Nutrition LLC, doing business as My Chef Shirley
21000 Southbank Street, Suite 106, #475
Potomac Falls, Virginia 20165
Phone: (571) 207-6641
Email: info@mychefshirley.com