I'm getting my home kitchen inspected Thursday so I can become licensed. Yay! I'm excited but also nervous. I saw some helpful tips on here before about having a double sink and lots of paper towels . Does anyone who has been through this before have any more last minute advice? I live in Prince William County, VA so insight from other VA people is especially appreciated. Thanks, everybody!

congratulations! i just made sure everything was spic n span clean. all your cake biz items have to be separate from household items. nothing on the floor (i had a bin that she wanted raised up off the floor 6") and they want you to use the quaternary sanitizer. i'm sure you will do great!
cindy

The toughest parts are behind you which are the cleaning and the info packet. There are items you want them to see that you have like the sanitizer/clorox and pH test strips. Make sure nothing sits on the floor. They may ask you some general questions about how you do things but it shouldn't be beyond what you have already given them in the info packet. You may even want to have a sample for them to take or at least for them to physically see that you are serious.

Other than that I think that you will be just fine. They don't want to cause trouble any more than you want to invite it.

All in all, if you do more talking than they do, its a piece of cake. (No pun intended)

where do you get this "packet" from? Although I have been doing some cakes, I have a full time job, but want to be "legal". I have some competition that I would like to set myself apart from and I know this would help being legal and inspected.

Thanks

your lucky that the state you live in allows that.... here in milwaukee we need to rent a bussiness type thing... they dont allow the home bussiness type thing.... good luck

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGoods

I'm getting my home kitchen inspected Thursday so I can become licensed. Yay! I'm excited but also nervous. I saw some helpful tips on here before about having a double sink and lots of paper towels . Does anyone who has been through this before have any more last minute advice? I live in Prince William County, VA so insight from other VA people is especially appreciated. Thanks, everybody!

Where can you find information on becoming a licensed home baker for the state of Georgia?

Thanks for the encouragement and advice, everyone!

Sarkee, I got my packet from the Virginia Dept of Agriculture. They will mail it to you free of charge along with state and federal food safety/labeling laws and a business guide with helpful tips from Virginia Tech University. You should also check with your county or city to see what their laws are about home bakeries.

i called and asked for my packet which they are going to send me, but the guy I talked to was very confusing on whether i would have to be inspected or not. Why would there be a difference?

I have just been reading your posts. I have a condensation problem in my home and recenly started getting the tops of the windows and window sills going black because of mould. It is too high up for me to reach and clean. Will inspecters look at this and see it as a problem? I try to open my windows as often as I can when cooking but it is extremely cold at the moment in the UK and I am doing it sometimes.

I passed! And yesterday I got my zoning permit too from my county too. Yay!

Sarkee- According to VA law you can sell without an inspection if you sell at farmers markets or if your customers come to your home to buy your products as long as you have a label on your product saying that it was not made in an inspected facility. I can't remember what the exact phrasing is for the "not made in an inspected facility" statement, but if you do some research you should be able to find it.

Personally, I wanted to get inspected a) so I wouldn't have to put that label on my products/customers can feel confident buying from a licensed kitchen b) because I want to sell to local cafes and I can't without being licensed c) so I can get liability insurance and not risk losing my house if someone were to sue me. I'm a pretty cautious person though and figure for $40 and a bit of work it's worth the peace of mind. If you have a reasonably clean kitchen and read the packet they send to get an understanding of what they're looking for in terms of sanitation/food safety then they will work with you to get you licensed.

My only caveat to that is that apparently cats (and to a lesser extent dogs) can be a problem because their hair gets everywhere even when you do your best to clean. If you have a dog or cat they will take a sample of your food to make sure no hair is in it.

MissCakeCrazy- I'm not sure how much of a problem mold on your windowsill would be or what the inspection process is like where you live. If you invest in a dehumidifier though that should help with the problem. Also, I believe there are certain types of paint that are mold resistant, so if you can find one you could re-paint the problem areas.

Kilz paint. Fabulous product.

Congratulations on getting through the hoops! You are on your way!

congratulations TheGoods!

All in all, if you do more talking than they do, its a piece of cake. (No pun intended)[/quote]

This is a very true statement. Don't let there be a lull in the conversation, it only invites questions.

It does vary from county to county somewhat since some counties don't allow for home businesses/kitchens. The state is supposed to inspect everyone who wants to sell outside of their home or at farmers markets and/or doesn't want to label their products as made in a non-inspected facility though. Here's who I emailed for my packet:

[email protected]

She will be able to answer your questions and email you and/or mail you a packet and brochures. Here's what she sent me:

Starting a Food Processing Business in VA--Published by VA Tech
Code of Federal Regulations *****(The labeling laws had me freaking out until I noticed small businesses don't have to include a breakdown of the calories/fat/etc unless they are making a health claim)
Acidified Foods
VA Foodlaws
Home Op Packet w letter
Sanitizing Flyer