Disclosure Statement

In my varied writing life, this blog is the one place where I completely control content. Everything I write  is here because it is a story I want to tell based on my experiences. I will not write posts for money or in exchange for goods; my words here cannot be bought.  Any advertising will be clearly marked as such.

I recommend products, restaurants and places based on my experiences. Those experiences may come about because I am sent samples, invited to  restaurants, or sent on press trips. If you are a public relations person and send me a product, invite me to a restaurant, or fly me to the moon, you are taking the risk that I will write something negative — or not write at all.  I never, ever promise coverage in exchange for goods or services; my words here cannot be bought.

I am sometimes paid by companies and organizations to provide them with content, expertise or representation in public. If and when I write about those companies or their products on my blog, I make it clear to readers that there is a financial relationship. It is part of telling the story of my life in food to talk about these projects. For example, I may choose to tell a story that came about because my husband was hired by a marshmallow company. (Hmmm, maybe about how I gained 6 pounds while he developed recipes? ) If  there is a story to tell, I might, but the marshmallow company would never know it was coming– and if they asked for the story I would refuse to write it. My words here cannot be bought.

Companies and organizations occasionally approach me after I have written about them. If I love their product(s), and they want me to represent or work with them, I may be willing. But my arrangement with that company has parameters: I will be paid for a very specific job (such as cooking with their product on television) but that in no way influences whether I write about the product on this blog or anywhere else. If I write a story about, say, the television appearance, I will not go out of my way to omit the product name (that would be silly and distracting), but I will not include it for the sake of promotion. Because guess what? My words here cannot be bought.