Chef Agreement

You must be at least 18 years old, legally permitted to provide the services in your jurisdiction, and able to communicate in English. Applications are reviewed by TasteSparks, and approval is granted at our sole discretion. We may decline or revoke approval at any time.

You are an independent contractor, not an employee, worker, agent, or partner of TasteSparks. Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment relationship. You have no authority to bind TasteSparks. You are solely responsible for your own taxes, National Insurance or equivalent contributions, insurance, and any registrations or licences required to provide your services. You decide whether and when to claim requests.

As a chef you may claim requests from home cooks and provide written culinary guidance — answering cooking questions, reviewing dishes, customising recipes, and similar help (“Chef Help”). You agree to provide help that is accurate to the best of your knowledge, courteous, and delivered in a reasonable timeframe once claimed. You will only claim requests you are competent to help with.

Chefs are anonymous to home cooks. You must not reveal your identity or contact details to a home cook, attempt to move the conversation off the platform, or solicit direct engagements, payments, or tips outside TasteSparks. You must keep all request details, home-cook information, and platform materials confidential, and use them only to fulfil the request.

Payment terms, rates, and payout methods for fulfilled requests are as separately agreed with you in writing (including by email) before you begin. Payments are made only for requests properly claimed and delivered through the platform. Home cooks pay for Chef Help in credits; you are not entitled to any share of a home cook’s credit purchase except as expressly agreed. TasteSparks may withhold or reverse payment for requests that are not delivered, are delivered in breach of this Agreement, or relate to fraudulent or reversed transactions.

You confirm that the guidance, text, recipes, and other content you submit is your own original work (or that you have the right to provide it) and does not infringe anyone else’s rights. You grant TasteSparks and the home cook a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, reproduce, and deliver the content you submit for the purpose of operating the service and providing the help you delivered. You must not copy or reproduce third-party recipes or copyrighted material without permission.

Your guidance is general culinary advice, not professional, medical, nutritional, or dietary advice. You must not present it as such. Where a request involves allergies, intolerances, medical conditions, or vulnerable individuals, you must advise the home cook to verify ingredients and consult a qualified professional, and you must not give assurances of safety you cannot support. You are responsible for the accuracy of your own advice and must follow good food-safety practice.

You must not:

• harass, discriminate against, or behave abusively toward home cooks or staff;
• provide unlawful, unsafe, plagiarised, or deliberately misleading guidance;
• de-anonymise yourself, off-board home cooks, or solicit off-platform payment;
• misrepresent your qualifications, experience, or the origin of your work; or
• misuse the platform, its data, or its security.

You will handle any personal data you access strictly to fulfil requests, keep it confidential, and comply with applicable data protection law (including UK GDPR). See our Privacy Policy for how TasteSparks handles data.

Either party may end this Agreement at any time. We may suspend or remove your chef access immediately for any breach of this Agreement, for conduct that risks home cooks or the platform, or at our discretion. Sections relating to confidentiality, intellectual property, liability, and food-safety responsibility survive termination.

To the extent permitted by law, TasteSparks is not liable to you for indirect or consequential loss, or loss of profit or opportunity. You are responsible for the guidance you provide and agree to indemnify TasteSparks against claims, losses, and costs arising from your breach of this Agreement, your negligence, or guidance that infringes a third party’s rights. Nothing in this Agreement limits liability that cannot be limited by law.

We may update this Agreement from time to time. Changes are posted here with an updated date and apply to requests you claim after the change. Continuing to fulfil requests means you accept the updated Agreement.

This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales, and disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.