Privacy Policy

THE GOURMANDISE SCHOOL
Last Updated: July 2026

The Gourmandise School, operated by Gourmandise Culinary, Inc. (“The Gourmandise School,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), values your privacy. We are a women-owned recreational cooking school and retail shop based in Santa Monica, California. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share your information when you visit our website, register for classes, make purchases, or otherwise interact with us.

By using our website or services, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use our site.

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to:

Our website, www.thegourmandiseschool.com, which is hosted on WordPress
Class registration and waivers through RezClick (Cooking Schools of America) and Smartwaiver
Our online shop, built on WooCommerce, with payments processed by Square and PayPal
Order fulfillment and shipping through ShipStation and FedEx/USPS
Private-event and contact inquiries submitted through Tripleseat
Marketing and email communications through Mailchimp
Cookie consent management through Termly
Analytics and advertising tools such as Google Analytics (GA4), Hotjar, Meta Pixel, and Google Ads

It does not apply to third-party websites or services you access through our site.

2. Information We Collect

We collect two main types of information:

A. Personal Information (PI)

Information that identifies you, such as:

Name, email, and phone number
Billing and shipping address
Payment information (processed securely by RezClick, Square, or PayPal)
Account details if you create a login
Purchase and class history and preferences

We do not collect sensitive personal information beyond what is necessary to process payments and secure your account.

B. Browsing & Device Information

Information automatically collected when you use our site, such as:

Cookies, pixels, and other tracking data (see Section 5)
IP address, browser type, and device type
Pages visited, time spent, and activity on the site

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

Comply with legal obligations and prevent fraud
Process and ship orders, confirm bookings, and provide customer service
Send class reminders, receipts, and account updates by email or text message
Provide newsletters, promotions, and marketing communications (via Mailchimp)
Personalize your online experience and make the website easier to use
Improve our classes, products, and marketing strategies
Run targeted ads and measure campaign effectiveness (via Meta Pixel, Google Ads)
Conduct analytics (via GA4)

If you receive text messages from us, you can opt out at any time by replying STOP.

We may share your information with trusted service providers who help us operate, including:

RezClick (Cooking Schools of America), Occasion, and Smartwaiver for class registration and waivers
WooCommerce for our online shop, with payments processed by Square and PayPal
ShipStation and FedEx/USPS for order fulfillment and shipping
Tripleseat for private events
WP Forms for contact inquiries
Polling.com for our special accommodations intake form
Mailchimp for our newsletter and marketing emails. When you visit our online shop, Mailchimp may record the pages and products you view, items you add to your cart, and purchases, and connect that activity to your email address if you are a subscriber.
Termly for cookie consent management
Meta Pixel and Google Ads for advertising
Google Analytics for analytics

We do not sell your personal information for money. Under California law, some sharing of data for advertising purposes (such as through Meta Pixel or Google Ads) may be considered a “sale” or “share.” You can opt out using the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our website footer, and we honor recognized browser-based opt-out signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC). See Section 6 for your rights.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to:

Remember your preferences and login details
Track how you use our site
Measure and improve advertising effectiveness

You can manage your choices through the consent tool on our website or through your browser settings. Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) signal. Because there is not yet a common industry standard for responding to DNT signals, our site does not currently respond to them; you can, however, control tracking through our consent tool and the opt-out described in Section 4.

6. Your Privacy Rights

California residents may have the right to:

Know what personal information we collect and how it is used
Access a copy of your data
Delete your personal information (with certain exceptions)
Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for advertising
Correct inaccurate information
Limit the use of sensitive personal information

You can make a request by using the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our footer, emailing our Front Desk, or writing to us (see Contact). We will respond within the time required by law and will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

7. Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. For our kids’ and teens’ programs, registration and any related information are provided by a parent or guardian, not collected directly from the child. If you believe a child has provided us information directly, please call (310) 656-8800 or email our Front Desk, and we will delete it.

8. Data Security & Retention

We use reasonable safeguards to protect your information. However, no system is 100% secure. We keep information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce agreements.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, and except where prohibited by law, The Gourmandise School is not responsible for indirect or consequential damages arising from your use of our site or services. Our liability to you is limited to the greater of (a) the total amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) $500. Nothing in this section limits any rights or remedies you have under applicable privacy laws.

10. California “Shine the Light” Law

California residents may request a list of third parties to whom we have disclosed personal information for direct marketing in the prior year. To request this, email our Front Desk with the subject line “California Privacy Rights.”

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted here with a new “Last Updated” date. If changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice.

12. Governing Law

The laws of the State of California govern this Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions or want to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:

The Gourmandise School
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 323
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 656-8800
receptionist@thegourmandiseschool.com