Home  ·  Terms of service

Terms of service

Last updated 1 September 2026

The terms below cover the three things that actually matter in private chef work: allergies, money, and access to your home. They are written to be read, not to be skipped.

1. Dietary requirements and allergies

Every menu is executed to strict hygiene and food safety standards. Even so, food is prepared in your kitchen and with produce from shared supply chains, so the complete absence of trace allergens cannot be guaranteed. Nuts, gluten, dairy, seafood, egg, soy and sesame may be present as traces.

You must disclose every life-threatening allergy before service begins. Liability cannot be accepted for a reaction caused by an allergy that was not disclosed, or by cross-contamination originating in your own kitchen, pantry staples or storage.

If someone in the household has anaphylaxis, say so at the consultation. It changes how the whole kitchen is run, and it is far better handled openly than worked around.

2. The waitlist

Maddy holds one or two ongoing household placements at a time. Joining the waitlist records your interest. It does not reserve a place, create a booking, or guarantee that one will become available. When a placement opens, the list is worked through in order and personally, and fit matters as much as position.

3. Bookings, deposits and cancellations

  • A deposit or retainer may be required to secure a placement or an event date.
  • Cancellations inside 48 hours of a scheduled service incur a fee covering produce already bought and the booking time lost.
  • Ongoing placements run on agreed service days. Changes to those days need reasonable notice on both sides.

4. Groceries and procurement

Unless a fixed package price has been agreed in writing, ingredients are billed separately at market rates and are payable on invoice. Receipts are available on request. Where a weekly grocery budget is agreed, you will be told before it is exceeded, not afterwards.

5. Access to your home

A private chef placement means being given access to your home, often when you are not there. Keys, alarm codes and door codes are held in confidence, used only to deliver the service, and returned or deleted when the arrangement ends. Please make sure any household insurance or building access rules allow for a contractor working on site.

6. Your kitchen and equipment

Reasonable care is taken with your kitchen and equipment. Ordinary wear from normal use is not something liability is accepted for, and neither is pre-existing fault in appliances. If something breaks, you will be told the same day, not discovered later.

7. Privacy

Personal information, including your address, access codes, dietary and health history and family details, is treated as confidential. See the privacy policy for how it is collected, stored and removed.

8. Limits of liability

Nothing here excludes any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law. Subject to that, liability is limited to re-supplying the service or refunding what you paid for it.

9. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia.

10. Contact

Questions about any of the above are welcome before you commit to anything. Email [email protected].