Our Members include:
...and many more
The Chef Alliance offers flexible payment solutions to meet the diverse needs of our regular members.
Option 1: Pay for membership and insurance in full, directly to The Chef Alliance
Option 2: Apply for financing and, if approved, pay for the membership and insurance over a longer period of time in easy instalments. You can pay off the balance at any time without penalties.
The benefits of Membership in The Chef Alliance include, but are not limited to:
Benefits are subject to change without notice.
Membership and insurance are non-refundable. If they are cancelled mid-Term by the Member or by The Chef Alliance for any reason as set out in the Terms and Conditions of Membership, the member is still responsible for the balance owing to the finance company. Non-payment of overdue accounts may result in the file being sent by the finance company to a Collection Agency and reported on your credit profile.
The main differences are set out below:
TIER 1 AND TIER 2
Tiers 1 and 2 Plans are similar. They are for food businesses with gross annual sales up to $100,000 (Tier 1) or $200,000 (Tier 2) who are selling food or culinary services directly to consumers, including but not limited to in private homes, shared commercial kitchens, at farmers markets, through the Member's own website or social media, through food delivery apps, at local events and trade shows.
TIER 3
Tier 3 Plans are generally for food businesses with gross annual sales up to $200,000 who are selling food or culinary services directly to retail stores, bakeries, restaurants, wholesalers or distributors for resale. They can also sell to consumers, including but not limited to in private homes, shared commercial kitchens, at farmers markets, through the Member's own website or social media, through food delivery apps, at local events and trade shows.
Tiers 1, 2 and 3 each come with a choice of liability insurance coverage - either $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 or $5,000,000 coverage.
All Chef Insurance plans are for 1 year, and are fully earned, so are non-refundable. The deductible is $1,000.
If all of the services are provided under one business name/ legal entity, then only one membership is required. So, for example, if you have a sole proprietorship or corporation and provide private cooking lessons, attend at a weekly farmers market to sell your vegan dips, and also cater private and corporate events, these would be covered under one membership. All other terms of the membership and the policy must be adhered to.
Delivering food should always be done in a food-safe manner, using temperature controlled, food-safe bags or boxes, a refrigerated truck or deliver services such as Skip-The-Dishes, Uber Eats etc.
Food prepared at home for sale must adhere to local by-laws, health and safety restrictions and you must notify your home insurance company and have liability insurance.
Yes, provided the service or food donated adhere to health and safety regulations and are permitted under the Chef Insurance program.
Yes; selling food & drink products directly to consumers and at private catering events is typically covered by the liability insurance provided with our membership.
This type of service may be covered by the policy; however there are restrictions. If you are preparing any type of food for sale, the facility you are cooking in should be inspected and have the approval of your local Health Department. For this reason, many members rent space in commercial/ shared kitchens, food hubs etc. to ensure that they are adhering to these policies.
Commercial kitchens and farmers markets etc. are added to Members' certificates of insurance as Additional Insureds. This gives them protections in the event of damage or a claim related to your business.
Large Event Coverage ("LEC") is required if you are providing culinary services for groups of 26-200 people
Examples: catered events, team-building cooking lessons, weddings and parties. This can be added on a "per-event" basis up to a maximum of 25 per Term.
LEC is not required for farmers markets, trade shows, festivals or local events where there are numerous vendors.
Adding an Additional Insured to your certificate of insurance is required if you:
or
Although there is no additional cost to your membership, there may be a small Admin Fee to process the change to your membership and insurance.
The purchase of alcohol or cannabis for business purposes is not permitted in Canada unless you have been granted a licence by your local control board. Serving or purchasing alcohol for clients or an event or including cannabis as an ingredient being served to clients are not covered by the Chef Insurance policy, irrespective of whether you have Safe Serve certification or a license.
Wine recommendations and the use of alcohol as a cooking ingredient (where the alcohol is 'burned off') are permitted under the Chef Insurance program.
Yes, this type of service may be covered by the policy although there may be some restrictions.
Most municipalities have very strict laws regarding where food for sale can be prepared and how it can be transported. These laws protect the client from food-borne illnesses should food be prepared in a kitchen that has not been inspected and passed by the health department; there are also risks to the food during transportation, if it is not transported in a refrigerated truck, for example. The General Liability Insurance included in membership may not cover your business if you do not adhere to related laws should anything go wrong.
Personal Chefs avoid these issues by transporting the raw ingredients to the client's home, and preparing all of the meals in the client's kitchen.
For catering, you can use a licensed, inspected commercial kitchen or have your home kitchen inspected and approved by your local Health Department. If you are doing the later, you must notify your Home Insurance provider that you are running a business there.
Transporting food also carries risks. You may consider having your clients pick up the prepared meals from the place of preparation, but should have clear instructions for the client on how to transport and store the food to keep it 'food safe'. Some members may have access to continuous temperature food storage bags/boxes to keep hot/cold food at safe levels.
Having a waiver or contract addressing transportation, handling and storage recommendations with your clients is highly recommended for all situations where you hand over the control of the food to the client.
You should always use legal, inspected commercial kitchens and should abide by your local health & safety regulations, both while cooking and transporting the prepared foods. Using inspected commercial kitchens like those in service clubs, organisations or schools as a location to cook food and then for you to transport it to clients should be OK. The Chef Alliance does not approve of, or endorse, any of its members providing food-related services except as permitted by the laws and regulations of your respective jurisdictions, and as covered in your liability insurance policy.
You may need to have a refrigerated van to transport the prepared foods or specialty equipment for holding and transporting the prepared food in. Some members may have access to continuous temperature food storage systems to keep hot/cold food at safe levels.
Should you decide to proceed without taking the recommended safeguards, claims may not be covered by the policy or your policy may be voided. Should anything go wrong, you may be wholly responsible for costs, damages and court-mandated awards. This could be a very costly mistake.
No - Restaurants/ catering companies etc. will (we hope!!) have their own liability insurance should anything go wrong. The Chef Insurance program is for entrepreneurs running their own business.
Working in the foodservice industry, you are handling food every day, and the risks to your client's health and your personal safety are of the utmost importance. What happens when a client claims that they had an allergic reaction to something that you prepared? No matter how experienced you are, none of us are infallible and accidents can happen to anyone. What if the reaction was caused by the client consuming something else that day, not the food you prepared? Are you going to have the time and know-how of how to deal with this?
Whether it's cross-contamination causing food poisoning or a cut to your hand while chopping or even damage to the client's property or a commercial kitchen that you are using, the risks to your business and to you personally are high. That's why you need Chef Insurance.
Any equipment or supplies stolen from or damaged while in your car will not be covered under your auto or home insurance policies. It is important to have coverage under the home business endorsement policy or a specific commercial policy.
A home insurance policy will usually offer a small coverage limit for books, tools and instruments necessary for a business, profession or occupation. If you operate a business from home, you should inform your insurance agent and obtain additional coverage to mitigate the risk of a potential loss. There may also be limits on your home insurance and it may not be adequate for all of the equipment used by your business.
Commercial General Liability Insurance may cover some claims that occur at home if the claims are in respect to your business's related incidents, and you run your business from home.
You must declare your home-based business to the insurer for your home, otherwise the business equipment will not be covered under your homeowner’s policy. Not disclosing a home-based business to your insurer may result in your policy being voided by the insurer, claims being denied, as operating a business from home would be a material change of the risk that they insure.
NO. Event organising, where you contract the servers, catering, bartenders, entertainment etc. for the client's event is not covered under the Chef Insurance program. There is an errors & omissions exposure for event organizers which is not included in the Chef Insurance program.
The Commercial General Liability Insurance - "Chef Insurance "- is a member benefit of The Chef Alliance, available for an additional fee. It is not offered as a stand-alone insurance product and is not available to non-members. It is provided through a third party licensed insurance broker.
The information provided in these articles are general and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional, legal, business, insurance or financial advice. For more information or a quote for you or your business, please contact a licensed insurance broker or a Success Manager for a referral to a licensed professional.
Copyright © 2001 - present. The Chef Alliance - All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer: Information provided may be incomplete. Any suggestions or guidance should not be considered a substitute for professional, legal, business, insurance or financial advice. Each business situation is unique, and the advice provided is intended to be general. Please contact a professional for advice that's best suited for your business and to meet requirements of your local/regional government laws and by-laws. The Chef Alliance shall not be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided herein.
The Chef Alliance is an industry member organization for chefs and cooks and is not an insurance broker. The Commercial General Liability Insurance (" Chef Insurance") is a member benefit of The Chef Alliance, available for an additional fee. It is not offered as a stand-alone insurance product and is not available to non-members. It is provided through a third party licensed insurance broker. The Chef Alliance, by virtue of the size of its membership across Canada, is able to negotiate deeply-discounted insurance packages for its members and facilitates the insurance process on their behalf.
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