I want to start a small at home business just for some extra cash...i've been baking and decorating cakes for over 25 years.....and I want to know if just going with word of mouth would be best....Or can i make up business cards and flyers without getting in trouble..........let me know..thanks a bunch..
The Department of Agriculture licenses the home bakeries in PA. You can contact them about rules and inspections.
If you don't go the "legal" route, you can't advertise in any way. If "they" find out, you can be fined and shut down.
However, the licensing is usually fairly easy, unless you have pets.
Hey, you're right down the road from me! I live just outside of Avonmore on 819. I went through the whole legal thing last year and it's not too difficult. First, you have to take a food safety course. I took mine through the Allegheny County Health Department (yes, it's valid even if you don't live or work in Allegheny County). Check their website for class schedules and fees. I took mine last summer at Woodland Hills High School over two all-day sessions. You have to pass an exam at the end of the course and as of last year, it cost $75. Once you have the food safety certification, you have to apply for a license from the PA Department of Agriculture. They'll actually supply you with that form at the food safety course site. After you have the license and certification, you call the Department of Agriculture and make an appointment for an inspection. The guy for my area is Bobby McLean - he may cover Indiana County, too. The two main sticking points for the inspection are that you store all of your baking supplies separately from your own food and there can be no pets in the house. Other than that, Pennsylvania is pretty lenient when it comes to domestic kitchens (what I'm classified as).
If your ever in Ligonier on a Saturday morning, stop by the Country Market. I sell baked goods, free-range eggs and vegetables there during the summer!
mjw--I live near Reading, PA. I was talking to a woman in my wilton class who has a licensed home-based kitchen. I was picking her brain because I have pets. She thought that I would be okay if I had doors that closed off my kitchen from the rest of the house so that the cats can't get in. Have you heard anything like this? I'd really like to start selling cakes but I'm obviously not getting rid of my kitties! I don't know if it matters, but there is an outside entrance into my kitchen, so technically I could bring all ingredients, etc in through that door and it would never be in contact with the rest of the house. Just curious if you know anything more about this since you are licensed.
Thanks in advance!!
I guess the pet issue would depend on your inspector! Mine basically checked out my kitchen and looked at my most recent water test results (I have a well - too far out in the middle of nowhere to get city water!) and gave me the thumbs up. I'm a meticulous neat freak anyway, so he found no problems with the cleanliness or neatness of my kitchen. I scrubbed like a mad woman before he came! Also, you need to have all of your baking supplies in sealable containers to protect them from insects. I store all of my opened flour, sugar, etc. in large plastic containers in my pantry. I hope I helped you out a bit...I had a hard time figuring out the laws in PA because the websites aren't very helpful and neither are the people that work for the PDA. I stumbled around for a good six months until everything finally came together!
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