Would anyone happen to know if Missouri will license a home bakery?

You will want to double check with your county health department, but there are several messags that say Missouri does not license home bakeries.

If you use the Search button above, enter Missouri in the search field, and limit it to the cake decorating business forum, you will find several threads.

Oh no I was affraid of that, I'll be sure to double check. I just signed up for the first three Wilton Courses, and the lady who organizes them led me to believe that most of the ladies(and sometimes men) who take the courses end up making cakes and selling them, so I was hoping that meant a green light. I'm glad I asked. Thank You!

Also, you need to check locally with your county and city (if in the city limits) because I know that some areas in MO will not allow an inspector to enter a residence, so that means you can't do it out of your home. So, even if the state says yes, your county or city might say no.

I live in Joplin, MO (Jasper County) and called the health department a few months ago with this question because I was taking the Wilton classes, too, and didn't want to let someone pay me and then get in big trouble for not being licensed...

Anyway, the health department said that I can bake cakes out of my home if I have a second kitchen or a make-shift second kitchen set up in my garage. They said they would help me get set up properly. They also said I could sell cakes if I used a facility at a church (I'm sure there are other places, too) that passed inspection. I didn't get all of the details because I thought that was too much hassle at this point in my life (stay at home mom of 1 year old twins--aahh! ).

So..it may be very possible for you to do this legally.

For now, what I do is let people pay me for ingredients and supplies like pans, plates, pillars and such (that I get to keep). It works out for both of us...and it's legal...

I live in St. Louis and have been wondering about this too. The SBA makes it seem like all you have to do is apply, but the county is not so leanient. I hate to sell cakes and get in big trouble, but don't want to do all that work for "free". DH really doesn't want that either since it takes up so much of my time.

I would like to open a storefront, but don't have the $ to invest in that until I sell more cakes...which I can't do without the kitchen and clients..who I can't advertise for because I am not a business...which I can't develop until I make more cakes...which (you get it!)

Darn health regualtions!

I live in Phelps county and was told by the health department that to do it at home it would have to be a separate building.

I live in Morgan county in Missouri and was also told need to have a different kitchen that meet all the regulations.... I can also rent a kitchen that is inspected, then I can advertise....
I could only get information from county public/commuinity health department. Once I finally gotthe correct person then I got all the answers but was a long difficult trip to get there....

So what do we do??

If I had the money to open a store I wouldn't still be at my reg. job. Have all of you already taken the course and been decorating for a while?

Like I mentioned in a previous post, the clerk at the place where I will take the classes led me to believe that it was possible to do this from home, even said that they have a couple of girls cards there in the store and if you bring in pix and are "good enough" at cakes they would allow others to do so. Maybe it's a don't ask don't tell situation. I want to do this right/legal...it just seems like it might take a lot longer than I was hoping.

I do like the idea of, especially while I'm getting started, getting paid w/ supplies (pans, columns, etc.) That would help, but I can't imagine it will ever even come close to the time it takes to decorate a cake and do a good job.

Ladyday95,

I just took a look at your pix. Wow, you did a fine job w/ those images and that wedding cake.

In answer to your question, I haven't been decorating long--about six months. I started taking the Wilton classes at the very end of January to get out of the house two hours a week. It was rough for both my husband and I at first, too. He had never been alone with the twins for two hours by himself before and I had never been apart from them for that long. But, it ended up being a good experience all the way around. I got a break, he got Daddy time by himself with the kids, and now we all get to eat pretty cakes that taste good! Ha Ha!

I don't even attempt to do this as a business right now (I'm way too busy chasing around two toddlers), but I think I would like to someday when my kids are in school. I don't advertise or even offer to do cakes for people right now, but I do send my practice cakes up to my husband's store and have gotten four wedding cake requests from that alone in the last month...all with the same arrangement. They keep trying to give me tips on top of everything else since they can't pay me...I haven't decided yet whether or not that is legal...my first thought is no, but then again, I don't think it's a problem to tip a babysitter and not file with the IRS, so I'm not sure...

Well, I will start my first class a week from tomorrow. But I made a cake for a relatives B-Day last night, took me FOREVER, but it did turn out better than I anticipated. I have tried to get it to upload on here but somethings not working right. Hubby promises he'll take a look later.

I don't know about you guys but, I love this site. I have got a chance to visit with really nice people and have researched sooo many things that I have questions about.

I went through all of the classes last year and have been making cakes (mostly for free) since. My instructor never once told us that we would have to be licensed or go through the county to do this as a business. She told us many students do become home decorators and encouraged those of us who told her that was our plans. She had to have known. I think a lot of this "business" is underthetable.

I also live in MO and a couple of months ago I called Jefferson City to find out about a license. The gentleman I talked to said that in MO if you do not sell wholesale that you don't have to have a license or a sepearate kitchen.

He also said that the state was not after the small in home baker. That a small home baker would be just like the farmer who made bread with the wheat they grew. He did say that I would need to check with the city health department. All they would tell me was they required what ever the state did.

I have been doing cakes from home for over 14 years with no problems and I'm going to keep on.

Hope this helps.

Wow . . . so many different answers to the same question. I have wondered this, too, as I took the Wilton classes earlier this year and have just been making cakes for family and friends since. I still need a lot more practice but would love to one day make cakes to sell.

Regarding the separate kitchen question, does anyone know what is required to be in it? We are actually about to open a business (equestrian stable) in St. Louis county and we're building living quarters above the offices. The office will have a kitchen / bar area with a refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, oven, and microwave. Since we're just about to build this (just broke ground a couple of weeks ago) I was curious if there's something special I need to consider in case I want to use this separate kitchen to be legal down the road . . . any idea??? I gather from this post that you need to talk to the health department and the county (which St. Louis county is never easy to deal with) but is there anyone else?

My thought down the line would be to have birthday parties at the stable and included with the price of facility rental would be a cake but I want to be sure I did the office kitchen right from the start.

Thanks for any advice you may have!

ckkerber,

check your pm's for list....

lisacakes,

I am sooo glad to hear that. I am just getting started (like I don't start my first class until Monday) and my hope is to someday be able to quit my regular job and decorate cakes and cookies, which will be a 180 from what I do now.

Now I have have hope that this can happen. Thank you for sharing!!!!

Just another reason I love CC.

This is the list I recieved last week for Morgan county in Missouri...

1. Completely separate kitchen and food prep area.
2. Three-vat sink large enough to accommodate imersing your largest cooking utensil.
3.Separate handwashing sink with hot and cold running water, soap, paper towels.
4.Refrigeration capable of maintaining 41 degrees F or lower. Freezer capable of 32 degrees F or lower.
5.Thermometers in all refrigeration and freezer units.
6.Proper labeling for baked goods and any other packaged products that you prepare.
7.Your sewage system will have to be inspected and a grease trap might have to be installed depending on how much grease is being introduced into the sewage system.
8.Your water supply will have to be tested.
9.All food prep surfaces, walls, ceilings and floors will have to be smooth non-absorbent and easy to clean.
10.All lighting in food prep area will have to be shielded.

This is the list for Morgan county.... your county maybe be different.

I'll be sure to contact Howell County and make sure, cross your fingers. I just can't believe that the business where I am going to take the classes, which is a party decoration supply store, would put the cards of cake decorators on display if it was illegal. I'll find out more next week.

I hope Morgan county is not the only one to require all this... I may have to move to Jefferson City....

ckkerber
Where in St. Louis are you? I am in West County Ballwin/Manchester area

Hay - us MO gals should get together and have a CC party!!

Hi jennianne!

Ladyday95, where in central MO do you live? I live in Willow Springs, 80 miles southeast of Springfield. My sister is deaf and lives in Morganton, NC. I thought you had to be provided with an interpreter if you needed one. If you lived close I would help you out although I don't speak alot of sign. My sister and I lip read and have since I was born (57 years ago). She and her husband just retired a year ago after 30 years of teaching at the deaf school in Morganton.

Sugarbaker, they will tell you anything to get you to take the courses. It doesn't matter to them if people are legal selling cakes. They just want to sell the supplies. What ladyday95 said about Morgan County is pretty well what the state requires in MO, I think. We finally have a health inspector in WP and he seems to be pretty nice but strict. When I get time I will PM you or you can email me at [email protected].

Right now I'm off to an ice cream social to promote our school tax issue on Tuesday's ballot.

Diane

Also I forgot to mention that there is a thread on CC now about licensing in all the states.

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=32550&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0