This thread HAS been so informative. It is also nice to see so many of us from the Buckeye state. I, of course, am still a little confused about the labeling issue. In particular:

"The ingredients of the food product, in descending order of predominance by weight;

The net weight or net volume of the food product;"

I am sure it is easier once understood, how to you figure out how to label (especially) in descending order of weight?

I agree with tkempton - it is a lot of fun to get together and chat about cakes and compare what cakes we recently worked on. I am so glad I took classes and went a little further than my hobby birthday cakes for my girls.

Hi, All.
I'm on the east side of Cleveland in Highland Heights.

Thanks for all of the info you've provided.

I consider myself a "cottage producer" as well. I like the idea of not having to label the product if I'm handing it off to the customer, but I'm still considering putting together a generic label for each type of cake and then adding additional info in a "notes" section--fillings,etc. Since I figure no one will ever look at it anyway, I'd probably put it on the bottom of the cake board--after all, I find that I often have to scour grocery store products for ingredient lists

When I joined ICES awhile back, I remember getting some info on a Cleveland cake club, but I haven't had any communication from them in 18 months, so I don't know if they're still active.

Happy decorating everyone!
Rae

I'm an Ohioan too!!!! I'm in the first phase of my business and I've just got four orders in less than a week!!!!! My first paid cake was my Hot Dog cake in my photos....Please tell me what you guys would have charged since we all have similiar prices being in the same state...My mother in law says that I waaaaayyyyyy under charged myself......Let me know ...thanks!!!! Wahoo for Ohio!!!!

Rae - First of all, congratulations on your wedding cake in the contest. I love all your cakes - your wedding cake you submitted was gorgeous and I hope someday I will be able to produce something to that nature. Is it considered "legal" for a cottage producer to not label the cake if it is personally delivered and handed off?

ASupergirl - what size was your hot dog cake? It is very cute!

Sara

Hello, I am from St.Clairsville (near Wheeling, WV). There are no cake clubs in Ohio? I am not licensed, just a hobby so far.

Asupergirl~

hey! cute hotdog cake.... was it one layer or two? (not counting the hot dog). i charge $25 for a 2 layer 9x13 or 10" round.... probably not enough. i think i'll up it to $30 or $35 at the beginning of 2007, although i'd hate to charge close friends that much. hope that helps.

~erica

Hi, Sara. I was just mulling over what CinWoo said on page 2 of this post. She was quoting an OH Agri.Dept. inspector--sure hope they'd know

Thanks for the sweet comments about my cakes--all I can say is that cake decorating has been the best mid-life crisis I could ever hope for

Rae

hello fellow ohio bakers! near toledo here, shout out to CinWoo one of the closest to me.
there sure is a lot of talent around!
i want to check out more and more pics of everybodys cakes.
does anyone rent kitchen space or have some type of profit sharing program with a local restaurant where you can display cakes?

On the labeling issue: According to my dept of ag inspector you do not need to do an ingrediant label if you are personally handing off a cake. Reason is that the receipient of the cake can personally ask you and you can tell them what is in the cake. If you send baked goods to a farmers market for your husband to sell you would need to do an ingrediant label as he was not the one who made the cake.

Ingrediant label: ingrediants are listed by weight with the heaviest first. I personally weigh my ingrediants anyway, I never measure.

Yes we are all in Ohio, but what you can charge for you cakes, cookies etc. does depend on the area you live in and your talent. You will be able to charge more in let's say Cleveland and Columbus than you would in Toledo or Hicksville.

Also, in my humble opinion, it is NOT cost effective to rent commercial kitchen space. Besides the cost there is red tape, such as insurance etc.

If I need to be corrected on anything here please let me know!

Hope this helps, Cindy

Supergirl-Hot Dog cake is cute. I'd charge $30 for it (if it's a 9x13). But bear in mind I'm new at this also and have just started taking orders. I've set my prices by making a master list of all my ingredients and then calculating my cost for a basic sheet w/BC, cake board, box, etc and then deciding what I want to charge. $30 is what I've decided for my quarter sheets.

Hi everyone! How nice to see so many talented Ohioans here at CC! I'm in Columbus (Blacklick to be exact), and I got licensed as a home bakery a couple years ago. It's only $10 a year, and the inspection was very brief. All they did was make sure there are no pets in my home, made sure there is no carpeting in the kitchen, and checked the temperature of my oven and refrigerator. Not bad at all! Ohio seems to be one of the easiest states to have a home baking business in! Oh, the tax part of the business is a royal pain in the @#$*%&*!!!! But, it is nice being able to write things off as business expenses ... the car payments (for delivering cakes), new computer purchase (to maintain website), etc.

I'm all for an Ohio cake club!!!!

Not to rain on any parades, but the OH Chapter of ICES is one of the largest in the umbrella organization. They have 2 days of sharing each year and some years have weekends of sharing that are wonderful---they had one this past March and I had a ball (you can see the cake I entered in their competition in my photos).

Here is the website for the OH Chapter:

http://www.geocities.com/caketalkoh/

The main website for ICES is:

http://www.ices.org

No reason not to have a club of our own, but this may be a starting point for some.

Rae

CinWoo - thanks for all your information. I was not sure if there was a difference in your labeling as it sounded like you were licensed. Thanks to everyone for the information and website links. It has all been very helpful.

I'm from Cleveland also! Currently we live in Berea (a western suburb) but will soon be moving to either Strongsville or Medina.
Thanks so much for all the helpful info about labeling!

Cathy

I am not an Ohio resident but my nephew is and if I get the chance to visit him again I would love to be able to visit any cake club meeting day while I am in town. I live in Sydney Australia.

Kerrie

now thats what i call an ADDICTED baker, half way or more around the world and wants to come to ohio to talk cake, how sweet of you boring/kerrie!
if i have any thing to say about making sure there would be a meeting when your here, start picking out your outfit!

any other northwesters out there?

I live in Columbus now, but used to live in northwest Ohio - w of bowlinggreen - I still go home lots and my family loves getting cakes from me (yes i haul a cake 2.5 hrs ...i think im nuts)

As to the ICES in Ohio - are there smaller groups that meet or it is just one big event?

As to starting onther groups is anyone seriously thinking into that? ...
I would love to help set something up but im moving twice in the next 3 months (aahh!) and have college classes on top of that
-Diana

yes diana your nuts, JOIN THECROWD! i was invited to a party in columbus and just could not get the idea of not taking a cake, then i choose one with ganache and fresh berries, was i nuts? ended up borrowing one of those coolers that plugs into your car and runs cool as you go , took the melting issues of my mind but there are a few bumps along that 120 mile drive. arrived safely but . aaaah did i need a cocktail when i go there!

one of the previous posts has a link to the ohio ICES and that site links to others that appear more regional.

and yes i am in the very beginnign stages of wanting to find or start a group in my area, i think gas prices and peoples time maybe justify a more local based operation, where will your moves take you? and classes too? your as bad as the 4 or 5 irons i have in the fire, PM me if youd like

Just west of Cleveland here. Didn't realize there were so many of us up here.

I tried starting a cake club a few years ago and found that no one in the group was willing to do anything. I gave up and have just stuck with ICES bi-annual meetings since. I've even taught at them, lol.

So Atcake, would you be willing to try and start a cake club again if enough people were interested and PM'd you?

Hilliard here--western columbus suburb. cake club sounds good to me, too.

Unfortunately, Cindy, I just wouldn't have the time to organize a club right now. Too busy with the job and the kids starting school.

I'm in West Chester, just north of Cincinnati. I do the cottage foods thingie, since I have dogs. I just put my cakes on my food scale. For wedding cakes, do them individually.

I make a sheet with the labeling info and just put it in an envelope and hand it to the customer. If it's for a wedding, I just leave it with the boxes they need to return my stuff in. Put the bride's name on it.

We have a cake club here in Cincinnati, and I think I'm going to go ahead and join this month.

Jumping off topic a little bit, but have any of you cottege bakers registered a business name? If so, how did you go about doing it?

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

I'm so glad I saw this thread.....I'm in South Jersey now and have been for the last 5 yrs. but I moved here from Ohio (long story, my DH is from here, internet.....etc. LOL) Anyhow......I've finally talked him into moving back to Ohio.......we're going to live in a really small town in the northeastern corner right on Lake Erie and the Pa. border!!! I vote YES for a cake club.........I would love to try and start up a business when I move there.....I obviously need a ton more practice at the whole cake thing but would LOVE to make this my job!!!!! Heaven!!!

WOW! I've been out of town (and off CC) for the last week & look what I missed! I'm on the east side of Cleveland and grateful for the whole "cottage industry" thing in Ohio. I'm about to incorporate (thanks to DH, who's a lawyer) as "Cakeface Custom Designed Cakes LLC." I'd LOVE to get a local cake group going!! Maybe we could at least choose a date & a sort of centralish place (for Cleveland area folks, anyway) for coffee?

Wow, am I the only Youngstown/Warren girl around? I wish there was a camraderie with cake decorators around here like there is in Cleveland. I'd love to have cake meetings and have demonstrations/techniques, etc. Count me in, Cleveland...I'll drive the hour 15!