Yippee!! Turns out in my area I can be a legal baker of a "limited" amount of cakes by simply having the inspector come by and check out my kitchen. I asked what I need to do to make sure I pass inspection, and he said "Do you have a dishwasher and a fridge? Then you will pass". On the one hand I'm excited that it is that easy, on the other hand...it is a little scary that it is that easy!!

Congratulations, that is great news!

Congratulations!!!

That is so exciting! Congratulations. What state are you in?

That's wonderful! What state are you in?

I'm actually in Ontario, Canada (Halton region). I had no clue what the deal was here, so figured why not just call!! Now to just get the inspection done, and then I can charge for my cakes if I want to!

Did you get his name? Request him to do the inspection, it would be terrible to assume you were getting easy going Eddie, and end up with anal retentive Andy

I did ask for his name, and asked if it would be him doing the inspection, and he said they have many inspecters, so likely no . I'll keep my fingers crossed that I don't get "anal retentive Andy" !!

ZoesMum, can you tell me who you called? I'm in the Ottawa area and have no idea where to start.
Thanks.

Hi kello...our region (Halton) has an information line 311, so I just called that, explained what I wanted, and they put me through to the person to speak to. It was a Health Inspector that called me back. Looks like Ottawa Public Health has one central number, so you may want to try 613-580-6744 and then see if they can direct you to the right person. I looked quickly on www.ottawa.ca, so if that number doesn't work, then you might want to look on the website and see if you can find anything else! Good luck!

Gee, thanks SO MUCH. That's very helpful. I'm starting to get request for cakes often now, and don't feel right selling any without being legit.
I'm very excited for you!

That's awesome! I found out that in Wisconsin, I can sell cakes out of my home as long as it's not a whole lot! Once I get to where I'm selling a lot to the public, I'd have to get a building and stuff. But, at least I can do a little!

I wonder if a person could do that in alberta. I have spoken to a health inspector and she never mentioned it so i have been renting an inspected space when i need it which cost a wee bit more than i would like... i wanted to alter my basement a bit and put a spce down there for cake decorating but I have to submit plans and be approved and all this crap.... its kind of heart breaking...

I had put off calling because I didn't want to hear an answer like you got Bfisher2!! Down the road I may choose to define "limited" differently than they do, but for now if works just fine! You should call back and ask specifically about limited baking...

I just got off the phone with the health dept. and they said they don't look at bakers that aren't selling that much. They can't inspect a private home. But if I start to become busy, then I need to consider having a sererate space for all supplies and a seperate place to wash hands and pans. It's a start, but I would like to start advertising soon and hopefully will be baking more frequently!

Thats cool for your guys... i want to call today and see what they say. I know you can do baking out of your own kitchen to sell at farmers markets and they dont even bat an eye at it, so really, when your small beans like i am what is the difference and why should i have to go through a huge expense when your not too sure if your gonna fly or not.... im glad you posted this infor though... its really helpfull... i will et you know what they say when i get ahold of them....

I totally agree!! Good luck Bfisher2, and definitely let us know what they say!