Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the PracticeChef website at practicechef.com, the PracticeChef beta and app, and related services (together, the “Service”), operated by Brendan Smiley, a sole proprietor based in Alberta, Canada (“we”, “us”, or “our”). By requesting a beta invite, using the website, or using the app, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you’re under 18, you confirm that a parent or legal guardian permits your use. The Service isn’t directed to children under 13.

3. Beta software

PracticeChef is currently offered as a pre-release beta, distributed through Apple’s TestFlight. You understand and agree that:

• The app may be incomplete, unstable, or change without notice, and features may be added, modified, or removed at any time.
• The beta may be interrupted or discontinued, and access isn’t guaranteed.
• Data loss can happen. Because your data lives on your device, you’re responsible for your own backups (for example, via your device’s iCloud backup). We’re not responsible for lost cooking data.
• Beta software is provided without warranties of reliability or availability (see Section 12).

4. Your licence to use the app

We grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the app for your own, non-commercial cooking. This licence ends if you stop using the app or if these Terms end.

5. Your content

You keep full ownership of the recipes, notes, reflections, and photos you create or import into the app (“Your Content”). In the current version, Your Content stays on your device. We don’t host it, and we claim no license or rights over it. You’re responsible for having the right to use any recipe or material you import, and for keeping your own copies.

6. Feedback

If you send us feedback, ideas, or suggestions about the Service, you agree we may use them freely, for any purpose, without compensation or obligation to you. You’re not required to send feedback, and you shouldn’t send anything you consider confidential.

7. Acceptable use

When using the Service, you agree not to:

• Use it for any unlawful, fraudulent, or abusive purpose.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to, disrupt, or overload the Service or its systems.
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or tamper with the app except where the law expressly permits it.
• Copy, resell, or redistribute the app or its content, or use it to build a competing product.
• Scrape or harvest data from the website, the app, or any other part of the Service, or submit false information to our forms.

We may suspend or end your access if you break these rules.

8. Our intellectual property

The Service, including the app software, the technique modules and educational content, text, graphics, animations, design, the PracticeChef name, and logos (everything except Your Content), is owned by or licensed to Brendan Smiley and protected by intellectual property laws. Our technique content is original work; you may use it within the app for your own learning, but you may not copy, republish, or redistribute it without our written permission.

9. Third-party services

The Service relies on third parties, including Apple (TestFlight and the App Store) and Cloudflare (website hosting). Your use of those services is also governed by their terms. In particular, when you join the beta through TestFlight, you also accept Apple’s terms; these Terms govern only your relationship with PracticeChef, not with Apple.

10. Future features and paid options

The app is currently free. If we later introduce paid features or purchases, any additional terms (such as pricing, purchase, and refund terms) will be presented to you at that time, and Apple’s payment and refund policies will apply to purchases made through the App Store. We’ll also update these Terms as the Service grows.

11. Cooking, food safety, and assumption of risk

PracticeChef teaches cooking, and cooking carries real-world risks. The technique modules and other content are provided for general educational and informational purposes only. They are not professional food-safety, nutritional, medical, or allergen advice, and they are not a substitute for your own judgment.

You are solely responsible for cooking safely, including:

• Handling and storing food safely and cooking it to safe internal temperatures. Undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and other foods can cause serious foodborne illness.
• Checking ingredients for allergens and any dietary restrictions that apply to you or to anyone you cook for.
• Using knives, heat, hot oil, open flame, appliances, and other equipment safely, and supervising anyone who needs it.
• Any and all other risks associated with cooking and food preparation. The examples above are not exhaustive.

By using the app, you accept these risks and agree that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for any injury, illness, allergic reaction, property damage, or other harm resulting from cooking, food handling, or otherwise following or relying on the content. Times, temperatures, and techniques are guidance only: verify doneness and safety yourself, and follow trusted local food-safety guidelines.

12. Disclaimer of warranties

The service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We don’t warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or that any data will be preserved.

13. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Brendan Smiley will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, profits, or goodwill, arising from your use of the service.

In no event will our total liability for all claims relating to the service exceed the greater of CAD $100 or the total amount you paid us, if any, in the 12 months before the claim.

Some jurisdictions don’t allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you; in that case our liability is limited to the smallest extent permitted by law.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Brendan Smiley from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the Service, Your Content, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

15. Suspension and termination

You can stop using the Service at any time by deleting the app. We may suspend or end your access to the beta or the website at any time, with or without notice, including if you violate these Terms or if we discontinue the beta. Sections that by their nature should survive (such as intellectual property, assumption of risk, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification) continue to apply after termination.

16. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada that apply there, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. You agree that any dispute relating to these Terms or the Service will be handled in the courts located in Alberta, Canada, and you consent to their jurisdiction.

17. Language

These Terms are written in English, and the English version governs.

18. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we’ll update the “last updated” date on this page and, where appropriate, give notice. Continuing to use the Service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

19. Contact