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GDPR & Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. Learn how we protect your personal data and respect your rights.

Last Updated: November 7, 2025

Rohini Walia Culinary School ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring transparency in how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information. This policy explains your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how we comply with these regulations.

Data Controller

Organization: Rohini Walia

Email: info@cookwithrohini.com

Address: Prague, Czech Republic

What Information We Collect

Newsletter Subscription

  • Email address (required) - to send you newsletters
  • First name (optional) - to personalize our communications
  • Subscription preferences - to respect your content interests
  • Consent timestamp - to prove compliance with GDPR
  • Email verification status - to ensure valid subscriptions

Booking & Enrollment

  • Full name - for class registration
  • Email and phone - for booking confirmations
  • Payment information - processed securely via Stripe/PayPal

Website Analytics

  • IP address (anonymized) - for security and analytics
  • Browser type and device - to optimize user experience
  • Cookies - see our Cookie Policy for details

How We Use Your Information

Newsletter delivery: Send you cooking tips, recipes, class announcements, and special offers

Class management: Process bookings, send confirmations, and manage attendance

Communication: Respond to inquiries and provide customer support

Legal compliance: Meet legal obligations and protect our rights

Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we process your data based on:

  • Consent: You explicitly agree to receive newsletters (withdrawable at any time)
  • Contract performance: Processing bookings and delivering classes you've purchased
  • Legitimate interests: Improving our services and preventing fraud
  • Legal obligation: Tax records and payment processing compliance

Your GDPR Rights

Right to Access

Request a copy of all personal data we hold about you

Right to Portability

Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format

Right to Erasure

Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")

Right to Rectification

Correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information

Right to Restriction

Limit how we process your data in certain circumstances

Right to Object

Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing

To exercise your rights, contact us at:

📧 info@cookwithrohini.com

We will respond within 30 days as required by GDPR

Data Security & Retention

Security measures: We use industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS), secure hosting, and access controls to protect your data from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse.

Payment security: All payment data is processed by PCI-DSS compliant providers (Stripe, PayPal). We never store full credit card information.

Retention periods:

  • Newsletter data: Until you unsubscribe
  • Booking records: 7 years (tax law requirement)
  • Payment records: As required by law and payment processors
  • Support inquiries: 3 years from last contact

Third-Party Service Providers

We share your data only with trusted service providers necessary for our operations:

  • Email delivery: Mailtrap/SendGrid (GDPR compliant)
  • Payment processing: Stripe, PayPal (PCI-DSS compliant)
  • Website hosting: Cloudflare, Neon.tech (EU/US data centers)
  • Analytics: Google Analytics (IP anonymization enabled)

We never: Sell your data to third parties or use it for purposes other than those described.

Unsubscribe from Newsletter

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time:

  • Click the "Unsubscribe" link in any newsletter email
  • Email us at info@cookwithrohini.com
  • Visit your account preferences (if logged in)

After unsubscribing, you'll no longer receive marketing emails, but we may still send transactional emails related to your bookings.

International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers are based outside the European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure adequate protection through:

  • EU-approved Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs)
  • Privacy Shield certification (where applicable)
  • GDPR-compliant data processing agreements

Questions or Concerns?

If you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your GDPR rights, contact us:

📧 Email: info@cookwithrohini.com

📍 Address: Cook with Rohini, Prague, Czech Republic

Right to lodge a complaint: If you believe we've violated your privacy rights, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority (in Czech Republic: Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů - ÚOOÚ).