Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 28, 2026

sammymontgoms.com (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates this website. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have.

We are based in Canada. Our visitors come from around the world, so this policy also describes rights available to visitors in the United States, the European Union/EEA, and the United Kingdom.

The short version: we collect what we need to run a recipe site with ads and a membership, and not much else. The long version follows.

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

Information We Collect

Information you give us directly

  • Name and email address when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit the contact form, or leave a comment.
  • Account, billing, and subscription details when you join Cook Club (processed by our membership provider, see Membership and Payments below).
  • Any other information you choose to send us.

Providing this information is voluntary. You can browse the website without giving us any of it.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the website, we and our service providers automatically collect:

  • IP address and approximate location (city or region level)
  • Device type, operating system and version
  • Browser type and language
  • Pages viewed, links clicked, time on page, and referring URL
  • Cookie and advertising identifiers

Information from third parties

Our advertising and analytics partners may combine information collected on the website with information they have collected elsewhere, in order to serve interest-based advertising and measure its performance.

Under U.S. state privacy laws, the information described above falls into the categories of identifiers, internet or other electronic network activity, commercial information, and inferences.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Deliver, operate, and improve the website and its content
  • Send newsletters and updates you have asked to receive
  • Operate and support the Cook Club membership
  • Respond to your questions and requests
  • Display and measure advertising, including interest-based advertising
  • Understand how the website is used so we can make it better
  • Detect and prevent spam, fraud, and abuse
  • Comply with legal obligations

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use the website, for example which recipes are most popular, how visitors arrive, and which pages need improvement. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect usage data, including a truncated IP address, and reports aggregate trends to us. We do not use Google Analytics to identify you personally.

You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. More information is available in Google’s Privacy Policy.

Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)

The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.

First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The “help” feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.

Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.

The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:

  • IP Address
  • Operating System type
  • Operating System version
  • Device Type
  • Language of the website
  • Web browser type
  • Email (in hashed form)

Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.

If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.

For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.

The website uses a consent management platform (consentmanager) to present cookie and advertising choices and to record your preferences. Where required by law, advertising and analytics cookies are not set until you provide consent. You can reopen the consent tool at any time to review or change your choices.

Where required by applicable law, we treat opt-out preference signals such as Global Privacy Control (GPC) as a valid request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information, to the extent our consent management tool recognizes them.

Some browsers also transmit “Do Not Track” signals. We do not currently respond to Do Not Track signals, which are distinct from the opt-out preference signals described above.

Advertising Pixels

We use advertising and conversion-tracking pixels and tags to measure and improve our advertising. These currently include the Meta Pixel (Facebook and Instagram), and may, as our advertising expands, include platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest, Google Ads, and Microsoft Ads, via their respective pixels or tags. We may share a hashed email address with these partners to improve ad matching.

You should consult each partner’s privacy policy, including Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, Google, and Microsoft, for details on their handling of your information.

Analytics and Usability Tools We May Use

From time to time we may use additional analytics or usability tools that help us understand how visitors interact with the site, for example behavioural metrics, heatmaps, or session replay, which record general interactions such as clicks and scrolling. Where such tools are used, sensitive content is masked by default and we do not use them to identify you personally. One such tool we may use is Microsoft Clarity; see the Microsoft Privacy Statement for how Microsoft handles data.

Email Marketing

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address (and any name you provide) with our email service provider, Kit (formerly ConvertKit), in order to send you recipes, updates, and occasional promotions. We may track whether emails are opened and which links are clicked so we can send more relevant content.

We send commercial email only to people who have asked to receive it. Every message identifies us as the sender and carries a working unsubscribe link, as required by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). You can unsubscribe at any time using the link at the bottom of any email, or by contacting us. We action unsubscribe requests promptly and within the ten (10) business days CASL allows. Unsubscribing from marketing email does not affect transactional messages about a Cook Club membership.

Membership and Payments (Cook Club)

Cook Club is operated using Grocers List, our membership and subscription provider. Grocers List processes account, payment, and subscription information in order to operate the paid membership feature on this website. Payment card details are handled by Grocers List and its payment processors, so we never receive or store your full payment card number. Please see the Grocers List privacy policy for more detail.

We receive limited information about your membership status so we can provide member benefits, such as an ad-free browsing experience.

Contact Form

When you submit our contact form, we receive the name, email address, and message you provide, along with technical details such as your IP address, which our anti-spam service (CleanTalk) uses to filter automated submissions. We use your submission only to respond to you and for the purposes described in this policy. Submissions are delivered to us by email and are also stored on our website’s server.

We do not use contact form submissions to add you to our newsletter. You are only added to our mailing list if you ask to be.

Comments

If you leave a comment, we collect the name, email address, and comment content you submit, along with your IP address and browser user-agent string, to help with spam detection. Comments and the display name attached to them are publicly visible. Please do not include personal information in a comment that you do not want to be public.

We may edit or remove comments at our discretion, including comments that are abusive, off-topic, or spam.

Spam Protection

We use CleanTalk to protect the website from automated spam and abuse. This includes a firewall that checks visitor IP addresses against CleanTalk’s database of known spam sources before a page loads, as well as filtering of comments and form submissions. This means CleanTalk processes technical information such as your IP address and browser details for security purposes.

Other Third-Party Service Providers

We may share your personal information with third-party service providers in connection with providing products, features, content, and services to you. In general, our third-party service providers will only collect, use, and disclose your information to the extent necessary to allow them to perform the services they provide to us. These include our website host, content delivery network, security and anti-spam services, analytics providers, email provider, membership provider, and advertising partners.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to enforce our terms, to protect our rights or the safety of others, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Your Privacy Rights in Canada (PIPEDA and Alberta PIPA)

We operate from Alberta, Canada. If you are in Canada, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) give you the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you and be told how it has been used and disclosed
  • Correct personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete
  • Withdraw consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual limits
  • Challenge our compliance with these principles

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, and we obtain consent where required.

To make a request, contact us (see Contact Us below) and include “Privacy Request” in your message. We will verify your identity before responding, and we will respond within thirty (30) days of receiving your request. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Sale and Sharing of Personal Information (U.S. visitors)

Because the website displays interest-based advertising, some of the data collected through cookies and pixels, such as identifiers, device information, and browsing activity, may be considered a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) and similar U.S. state laws.

We do not sell personal information for money, and we do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.

To opt out, you can:

  • Use the consent management tool on this site to withdraw advertising consent
  • Enable Global Privacy Control (GPC) in a supported browser or extension
  • Use industry opt-out tools: DAA WebChoices, NAI, and in Canada AdChoices
  • Contact us directly

California residents have the right to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale or sharing, and receive equal service for exercising those rights. Residents of other U.S. states with comprehensive privacy laws (including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Utah, Texas, Oregon, and Montana) have comparable rights.

We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before acting on a request, and will use any verification information only for that purpose. You may authorize an agent to submit a request on your behalf with written proof of authorization. If we decline a request and you live in a state that provides an appeal right, you may appeal by contacting us again with “Privacy Appeal” in your message.

Your Rights in the EU/EEA and UK (GDPR)

If you are in the EU/EEA or UK, you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to our processing of your personal information, to data portability, to withdraw consent at any time, and to lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority.

Where the GDPR applies, we process personal information on the basis of consent (advertising and analytics cookies, and email marketing), contract (providing and supporting a Cook Club membership), legitimate interests (site security, spam prevention, and understanding aggregate site usage), and legal obligation.

Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law:

  • Newsletter subscribers, until you unsubscribe, plus a short suppression period
  • Contact form submissions, kept as long as needed to respond to and follow up on your message, after which they may be deleted from time to time
  • Comments, indefinitely, so conversation threads remain intact (you may request deletion)
  • Membership records, for the life of the membership plus any period required for tax and accounting
  • Analytics and advertising data, per the retention settings of the relevant provider

Children’s Privacy

The website is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it promptly. We also do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of minors under 16.

Data Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the information we collect, including encryption in transit (HTTPS). No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If a breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and the appropriate privacy commissioners as required by law.

International Transfers

We are based in Canada, and our service providers, including our host, advertising partners, analytics providers, email provider, and membership platform, may store and process information in the United States and other countries. This means your personal information may be subject to the laws of those countries, including lawful access requests by their courts and authorities. Where required by law, transfers rely on appropriate safeguards, such as the certifications of major providers under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or standard contractual clauses.

The website contains links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every site you visit.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page, and for significant changes we may provide additional notice. Your continued use of the website after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Province of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada that apply in it, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or want to exercise a privacy right? Either of these works: