How many of you are licensed and running your business out of your kitchen? I have heard that if you don't have a licensed kitchen and are charging for your cakes it is illegal. You're okay if it's just family and close friends. I don't want to get anyone in trouble but I'm just curious if most people are licensed. People have told me I should make up business cards but I am not licensed ,so couldn't I get in trouble if someone found out?
yah you could but I don't know how bad. My state and county will not lisence a hone kitchen you have to rent a commercial jitchen or add on a totally sepertae kitchen...
maybe someday- i need more practice but boo hoo its way way expensive.
i think different states and even counties do things differently!
I'm not sure about the laws there, but here you have to be licenced. As of now we are not, but we are trying to see if it is worth the home renovations vs getting an outside location. Guess it's a fine line on trying out your cakes to see if the puplic will like them and selling without a licence. We cross our fingers we won't be caught before we decide, but it looks like for us it is taking off like crazy and we need a real bakery location - comming up with the cash is a whole other problem too!
Good luck on what you decide.
fat and happy - how long did it take you to pick up customers? and how did you go about getting them? I am working with a friend/neighbor from both of our kitchens and we are trying to decide if we can convert one of our garages or if it's better to just rent? We don't want to rent without actual customers
Me.... 100% hobby and very happy 
..don't have to deal with "anal" customers.
Hobby for now...but hoping to be licensed in the future. 
Sorry I didn't post a reply sooner...
I made a Yankees cake for my boss as a joke last year. Someone at the hospital my husband works at saw a photo and asked me to make one for her husband. I used an old recipe and canned (yikes!!!!) icing squirted out of a baggie with the end cup off. When he brought it to work people went crazy. I also made a few Caramel apples with all the toppings for him at work. Suddenly people wanted tons of stuff. My friend Sue and I decided to take the Wilton classes last October and we have been crazy busy ever since. We don't advertise since we aren't licenced.
We are in an area where there really aren't too many other people who are up to par with us - sorry if it sounds snotty. No one carves cakes or uses fondant. Basically there is a Wal-mart (YUCK!) and grocery stores (double yuck) - another home baker whom I heard nightmare stories about (not showing up and poor execution of what was requested). No one does cookies either other than drop ones - and we really don't do anything except detailed sugar cookies. We keep our prices as low as we can without selling the farm.
It's really nice to have someone to work with - we practiced LOTS!!!!! when we first started and gave tons of freebies.
Hope this helps! Best of luck to you!
Where city are you from? Here in Minnesota, you do have to have a seperate kitchen or rent a commercial kitchen from somewhere. It is illegal to sell cakes in Minnesota without a license. It depends on what risk you want to take. Also, check with your county. My county does not allow a seperate (commercial) kitchen so I need to rent. When I decided to sell cakes, I had a hard time doing it without a license. There are people that do, but it is illegal. Also, moydear said in Minnesota you can sell cakes from your home as long as you do not advertise. (Business cards are advertising). Your best bet, if you want to become licensed is to check with a small coffee shop, restaurant. Usually one that is independently owned. Some churches are also licensed.
Me.... 100% hobby and very happy
..don't have to deal with "anal" customers.
I'm with you prettycake, I get enough stress from work, decorating is fun and I can do it on my own time. I charge my "customers" for ingredients only.
I only read the "cake decorating" threads because I find it interesting.
Fatandhappy - What part of PA are you located in?
100% hobby and it will stay that way. I have a good time, my friends enjoy the cakes and as someone so aptly put it no "anal" customers. (I worked, for years, as a customer service rep, I know about "anal", this is way too much fun to have it spoiled.)
I am NOT a licensed baker!! I can not run a business out of my home because of my HOA! I do not have enough $$ right now to build or even rent kitchen space.
Everyone that orders from me knows I am not a business because they know me personally or I tell them up front!!! I always tell them that I do not want to step on anyone's toes or get into trouble and will completely understand if they have reservations about ordering from me! I have cards with my name, phone number and my families website on it with a direct link to my gallery as is on my personal info here!!! I only give out a card if asked for one after I explain about my situation. I have been decorating for six years strickly as a hobby. It was one year ago exactly that this "business" of making cakes for the hospital took off! The cake that started it all is in my photos, the DT/HM merger cake!!! There are two of them!
Anyway, no one has ever had an issue with the fact that I make them out of my home! They see my work either on line or personally from a previous occasion and insist on me making the cake. Too many people have bought cakes from grocery stores and said those cakes were just "blah" and very dissappointing! Everyone that orders from me likes the personal attention I give each cake to fit their occasion.
Believe me, I WANT to be licensed or legal as some will put it!!! That is just not possible for me right now and I am prepared to stop doing this at any time should someone have an "issue"!
NOTE* I should also add that people keep calling ME! I certainly do not solicit! My number was just with one person a year ago, the secretary of the hospital. Now she gives my number and gallery out and people bypass her and call me directly because of what they have seen!
Amy
How does one go about getting their license? Do you have to have a licenced kitchen before you get your license? What kind of license is it? Cake decorating license? Food license? And when looking for a licensed kitchen to rent, where do you look - on line? yellow pages?
I would say it is a hobby for me. I have "sold" a cake but it was to a friend of my sisters. I told her she didn't have pay me anything but she did. We didn't have a contract or anything like that.
I don't want to go into business as it is way to stressful knowing you are doing the cake to please someone else. I'm way to hard on myself and to think someone I don't know is paying for my work I know I would be up all night long with worry.
However, if people I know want a cake and are willing to give me money for it well I guess I would think of it as a gift to say thank you. I don't think I could ever tell someone a price for one of my cakes. I would let them decide how much they wanted to pay.
Joanne
FatandHappy, I'm in PA, too (40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh) and I'm licensed by the department of agriculture as a domestic kitchen. I do a heck of a business right out of my home kitchen! The licensing is fairly easy and inexpensive so you may want to consider it. I sell baked goods at the farmer's market during the summer and I have to be legal to do that. I also get lots of referrals from a local banquet hall that sends customers to me for cakes and cookies for weddings and other parties. So I definitely have to be legal to do that! At some point in the distant future I'd like to open a shop, but for now my own kitchen is working out well.
I am doing this as a hobby while being a stay at home mom. I plan to go back to college once all my babies are in school. I just love decorating cakes. I don't see any type of business actually being created here. I would, however, love to work with a cake decorator. That would be a great job!
I didn't have to do anything special...they want your "business" food supplies stored separately from you "home" food supplies and no pets in the house, and that's pretty much it. I have a license from the department of agriculture,a food safety certificate from the department of health and my kitchen gets inspected once a year by the department of agriculture. That's all thats required in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
It's a hobby for me but I have had several people ask to purchase cakes from me. So needless to say I looked into it and after a few phone calls it looks like I will be licensed next week! Not so much to start a business but just to keep everything legal.
the problem is i have 2 dogs and though my house is extremely clean (i am anal about that beside the whole baking concept of it and they are absolutely not allowed anywhere near the kitchen area), i will not be able to get a home license becasue of that. So i am wondering - if you know - can i get my license and then rent a space or do i need a space first. right now i do not have many clients and the ones i do have know me very well and trust my cleanliness, so i don't want to rent space until my business picks up, so can i get my license just so that i am legal and then start looking for a "professional" kitchen?
First you have to have the food safety certificate. Call your local health department...they should offer a course. I got mine through the Allegheny County Health Department even though I live in Westmoreland County. I had to take a two-day course and pass an exam at the end. The testing site will have the license application - pick one up as you're leaving the exam. You can't apply for the license until you receive your exam score...the application actually asks for the score! It'll take about six weeks from test day until you get your certificate. The PDA is pretty quick about issuing a license...I got mine in about two weeks.
I wouldn't start looking for retail space until I was legal. Depending on when you can get certified and get your license, it could be a few months! Good luck!
Hi, I know this forum is from 2006 and hope someone answers!
I was digging into different forums, I also live in Minnesota, and I wanted to get a license, I bake as a hobby since I'm a stay home mom, but I'm always scared to advertise, people always tell me to do it (cards, websites, etc.), I only have a facebook page but I do not advertise. Readying some comments I see that is illegal to do so without a license and I'm glad I haven't... Question is, do I still need a license if a bake as a hobby? In my home. I only bake when I can and if a friend recommends me to someone, I always tell them I do not have a business and that I do not give receipts. I live in Maplewood.
Quote by @TPDC on 1 Oct 2006 , 8:29am
Where city are you from? Here in Minnesota, you do have to have a seperate kitchen or rent a commercial kitchen from somewhere. It is illegal to sell cakes in Minnesota without a license. It depends on what risk you want to take. Also, check with your county. My county does not allow a seperate (commercial) kitchen so I need to rent. When I decided to sell cakes, I had a hard time doing it without a license. There are people that do, but it is illegal. Also, moydear said in Minnesota you can sell cakes from your home as long as you do not advertise. (Business cards are advertising). Your best bet, if you want to become licensed is to check with a small coffee shop, restaurant. Usually one that is independently owned. Some churches are also licensed.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%