Disclosure Statement

[This policy has been updated and is valid as of April 2016.]

This blog is a personal website written and edited by me, David Lebovitz. It is an ongoing journal of stories with recipes.

I don’t accept any form of cash advertising or paid topic insertions except in the sidebars, between posts, and areas where it is clearly marked or evident. Some of the links in the posts are Amazon links. (See below.) Nothing is any of the posts on the blog has been placed there because payment exchanged hands. There are no sponsored posts on this site.

Newsletter

Readers who subscribe to my newsletter will only receive messages generated by me. To subscribe, readers are welcome to sign themselves up for it. Due to anti-spam measures, I am unable to add email addresses to that list, so if you are getting the newsletter it’s because you went through a double opt-in system to receive it. The list of subscribers is never shared or sold. Newsletters are sent out intermittently throughout the year and I do not send unsolicited emails or newsletters: at the end of each is an opt-out feature if readers wish to discontinue receiving it.

To receive the newsletter, fill out your email address in the box in the sidebar, and you will get a confirmation message at your email address.

If you subscribe to the site and receive updates by email, that service is provided by Mad Mimi, who I use for sending out newsletters as well, which also uses an opt-in system and for similar reasons listed above, I cannot add people to that list; if you receive email updates, it is because you have opted-in for that service. If you do unsubscribe, and wish to resubscribe at a later date, you’ll need to enter a different email address than the one you provided previously. You can enter your email address in the space provided in the right sidebar to get blog posts sent to you when they are published.

Products Featured

I infrequently accept products, services, travel, and event tickets from companies and organizations as long as the topic pertains to the blog or is aligned with my personal beliefs. I sincerely believe in small businesses and food producers and will often feature them, or items that they produce, in an effort to assist them in becoming more widely known. This, to me, is an honest gesture to give these companies and establishments more exposure.

Because I live abroad, and many products aren’t easily available, I will have American products sent to me by companies, which I make every effort to evaluate honestly and share with readers. There is never any monetary compensation involved and I make it clear to the company that I don’t promise to mention the product or give it a positive review on this site or in my books.

Restaurant Reviews

In the restaurant reviews on the site, I’ve paid for my meal. In cases where the meal was complimentary, I usually mention in the post that I was invited by the host. I sometimes get complimentary items from restaurants because I was a pastry chef and have many friends and associates in the industry. (Which is common practice amongst people in the restaurant business.) Whether I receive anything or not has no influence on what I write about.

The restaurant write-ups on the site are intended for informational purposes since many visitors come to Paris and want to know where to go. For that reason, I rarely mention places in a negative light because I like to believe that everyone in the restaurant business is doing the best they can. Not all succeed, but those who do, I am happy to pass along my experiences when dining there.

For more information, read my Restaurant Write-Up Policy.

It’s not possible to monitor when restaurants or other establishments move, change hours, and experience personnel shifts and changes. As possible, I do update posts, but I since I provide phone numbers and websites (when available), I advise calling restaurants and shops for the most recent information.

Cookbooks & Recipe Attribution

I will occasionally write about a cookbook, or adapt a recipe from one. If the book is not already in my collection, on occasion, I’ll receive a review copy from the author or publisher, which is common practice. I don’t review all the books I receive nor do I promise placement or a positive review in exchange for the book.

I follow the attribution guidelines which I wrote about at Food Blog Alliance, which are standard throughout the cookbook industry and amongst food writers.

Amazon

I don’t accept monetary compensation from individual advertisers for their products to appear in my blog posts. I am a cookbook author and make my income from sales of my books and will, on occasion, provide links to them, as well as other books available on Amazon and other booksellers. On purchases made through Amazon and other online booksellers, I receive a small commission.

Other Amazon affiliate links exist because I get inquiries about the availability of products, and Amazon and its affiliates carry a wide ranges of books, gourmet foods, and cookware that are easily available, often internationally. I personally shop at Amazon and find it to be easy-to-use and reliable. I believe in supporting local businesses as well. But because it’s not always possible to mention that in posts, I assume that readers know best the shopping options available to them in their particular area, neighborhood, or geographical region.

I make an attempt to link to products that I do actually use and recommend, or that are widely available, since I get inquiries from readers about availability of certain items. If you wish, you can open a new browser window and shop on Amazon.com or elsewhere, which is apart from my affiliate connection.

Ad Networks

As of this writing, I use AdThrive to manage my ads. Ads come from various networks, including Gourmet Ads and Blogherads. Because ads are automatically fed by the networks, I don’t monitor individual ads that appear on the site. I do not allow ads with sound or flash animation that exceeds the parameters of the ad space and if those appear, it’s by accident and I contact the network to have them removed. For editorial reasons, I prefer to keep a “hands off” policy with the ads, unless I determine something is blatantly offensive. But I wish for readers to have a good experience when accessing the site, so choose not to have ads that pop-up automatically or auto-play, to the best of my ability.

I also use Google AdSense, a third-party ad system, which is keyword-based and reacts automatically to the content which is presented on the site. I have no say over the ads that appear and like the ad network mentioned above, for editorial reasons, I like to keep a hands-off policy with those ads.

I can’t monitor all the ads since many are regionally based and I don’t see the same ones that you might see. So if you find an AdSense ad offensive, click on the “Ads by Google” link adjacent to the ads (not on the ads themselves), and you can register your complaint directly with Google. For additional information, please read my Privacy Policy.

Press Trips

Infrequently I will go on a press trip and write about the place I visited. The purpose of a press trip is to allow writers access to places and events they normally would not have access to. This includes places where various foods and wines are produced, which are of interest to me and I believe my readers. It’s nearly impossible to go into many of these places without this kind of access and I welcome the opportunity to do so and share an inside look with readers.

If I write about a place or what’s produced there, those posts are categorized under Hosted Travel and I would only write about a place if I enjoyed it and think that readers might enjoy visiting there as well. I have a deep interest in learning about various foods and how they are produced, such as cheeses, liquors, wines, and chocolates, and press trips allow access to behind-the-scenes views of the production of various foods and places.

Going on press trips is common and acceptable for many travel and food writers, and one could not normally get access to these places unless they have press access. So I will go on a press trip if it affords me with the opportunity to learn and understand more about food, a subject I’m deeply interested in. I receive no monetary compensation for the material expressed in those posts.

Advertising and Links

I do not accept text-link ads, or financial compensation in exchange for links or content placement. Messages requesting any of those will be deleted.


One-third of my readers are from outside the United States and I appreciate their understanding when I find life outside of the borders of my home country perplexing. While I welcome diverse opinions and comments on the blog, I do not allow personal attacks in the comments and will delete anything I deem inappropriate. I reserve the right to edit or delete comments on the site. For specific information, you can read my Comment Policy.

Any links to commercial sites in the comments or the URL field, unless related to the post, will be edited or deleted as well.

I strongly believe in honesty of relationship, personal integrity, and trust with readers. I don’t recommend products, whether given to me as gifts or that I’ve purchased, if they’re not something that I would personally purchase and use myself.

As mentioned, like many food writers, I will occasionally go on a press trip, sometimes called “familiarity trips,” to familiarize food writers and journalists to experience a place, and allows special access to foods and wines and will facilitate me going behind-the-scenes to share how foods, beverages, restaurants, culinary goods, or cookware are made, or to give a better glimpse of a certain experience. My interest is not to solely promote these products, but to highlight the various types of foods, wines, and other specialty items made around the world that I find interesting, with a special emphasis on France. My goal of this blog is to give readers a look at various aspects of European culture, and follow along on things that are part of my life. So I generally tend to write about all my travels, including vacations and other trips that I make for personal reasons, as well as book-related events and tours.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely mine. I will only endorse products or services that I believe, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement and not because I’ve received cash in exchange for the endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

Trust with readers is my most important asset and I strive to only recommend products, restaurants, hotels, and travel experiences with my reader’s interest in mind. Maintaining a blog has many facets, including costs associated with web hosting and design, and a considerable amount of time is spent writing content and responding to readers. Please note that it is free to use and read the site. It’s my intention to share my stories in a humorous manner, not intended to offend, but to highlight cultural differences, entertain, and for informational purposes only.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/disclosure-statement/
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