OK, decided I wanted to start my own legal business from home and do things here and there to earn a little $ for school, but NOOOOOO! The state requires a seperate kitchen and I just can't afford that. I asked about just selling a cake for just the cost of ingrediants (and have people pay me for what they think it is worth on the side ) and I can't do that either! I thought about using my churches kitchen but they are in a flood plane, need I say more, it floods anytime it rains practicaly! I think I'm basically out of luck to do this legally and I'm too chicken to do it otherwise. I'm so frustrated! My DH is going to ask his friend who has a lot of connections for some ideas but renting a kitchen to me seems to kindof defeat the purpose of earning $ to pay for school. Any ideas or am I really SOL? Maybe this is God's way of saying "not good timing right now Melissa, be patient and wait" But then again maybe I can't see the forrest because of all those darn trees. GRRRRRR


(bigsisof3kids - I know you are on here, sound off girl!)

do you have any resturants or cafe's that are only open for part of the day that maybe you can use thier kitchen for a small fee...

try searching for a banquet hall.........a lot of them have kitchens and would rent it out for less than the cost of the hall! A lot of times people rent the hall and don't use the kitchen.

i feel your frustration. i am also from michigan and just found out about the seperate kitchen thing also. sorry im not able to help just wanted to let you know i feel the same way

there is a small coffee shop here and another place that does cakes, got denied. Can't blaim them though they are just trying to make a living also.

try searching for a banquet hall.........a lot of them have kitchens and would rent it out for less than the cost of the hall! A lot of times people rent the hall and don't use the kitchen. Or you may try to get a job with a caterer........sometimes they get the job to do the food for a wedding and will also (hire someone else to come in and ) do the wedding cake as well!! That way, you could get a call for a cake, come in and use their kitchen.......give them a cut of the cake money.....and you don't have to have a space rented out.

olberg, it stinks doesn't it. the banquet hall is a good idea! I'll have to look into that one. I was even wondering about a VFW (hey, my DH and I are former military---maybe that would help things in my favor, only thing is some of their kitchens, the one by me anyways, is SCARY) I already have taken and passed the sanitation courses and tests through SERVSAFE, so I'm good there.

Does anyone here use a banquet hall or VFW?

I'm in the same position too...need a separate kitchen. The banquet hall sounds pretty promising, though. I didn't know that it was illegal to sell cakes from your home in Michigan until this week (thanks melissa )
~Beth

I am in Michigan, too and am operating as an unlicensed baker. I have only been selling cakes for 6 months or so, but no one has ever asked if I was legal. I am curious as to how the state might find out you were operating this kind of business? Of course, if you call and ask if it's legal, they'll tell you it's not, but do they really hunt down the illegal bakers? What might happen to such a baker if she/he was found? It's probably naive of me, but I am baking with the thought that it is unlikely anyone will ever come knocking at my door and request my license and a tour of my separate kitchen.

A few years ago (when I had only 2 kids rather than 5) I had a licensed daycare in my home. I went through all the paperwork and classes and paid the fees so that I could legally run a business. I was approved and they sent my license in the mail, but I hadn't had my home inspected yet. I called the local office and they told me to go ahead and begin watching children--it might take them a couple months to get the inspector out to my home!! Seriously, the state of Michigan has bigger issues than my cake baking!

Now, I have not jumped into the world of wedding cakes yet, so perhaps you might run into issues where a reception hall wouldn't allow a cake from an unlicensed baker?? If they were real sticklers, they might report you. I know that I could probably talk my church into letting me bake there if I had to. Are there other churches in your area that might let you borrow their kitchen?

jeans541, I'm in Lambertville MI, and they try to be up on everything (usually so they can raise taxes!) I don't know what would happen if I was caught selling cakes without a license. I'm really torn on this one. If only I still live in OHIO I could do a home based business with no problem.

Stupid Michigan

I'd like to do my own baking business but it's such a pain to operate one here in Michigan. I don't want to go to the trouble of building another kitchen because I would much rather my own store front. But of course we would need to find the right location and have enough capital to buy the equipment and make the area food ready. I guess another optition is that there is going to be a new restaurant opening here in town (they bought an old restaurant building that had been closed for several years) and I could see if I could work for them doing their desserts and such and hopefully the owners would allow me to use their kitchen for making my cakes and such.

my DH runs his computer business from home with no problems from the state, but anything dealing with food is MUCH MUCH HARDER! I'm trying to decide what to do now since every avenue so far has been blocked.

I am also in Michigan- moved up here with the hopes of starting my own bakery. I share your pain! I don't want to risk selling out of my home, even though there are at least 2 people in my little town that do...and they even advertise! On a bad day, I feel like ratting them out to the cake authorities but I would never do it- it's just not right . It just pi**es me off that I'm taking great pains to do everything legit and in the end all it will get me is DEBT!

If anyone is in the Three Rivers area and wants to partner up- I am a great baker (tooting my own horn here ) and need a decorator to help me open up the best bakery in southwestern Michigan!

Amber

Sorry girl, i know how you feel. I live just above the OH state line in Lambertville.

I am from michigan too and would like to get more of a business going. But only having sold a few cakes it just doesnt make sense for me to build myself a kitchen in the house or buy a business. I dont really know what to do either. I mean you have to start somewhere, right? I mean i cant imagine people with legal business just started right out like that. So you learn how to decorate and then 2 months later youre spending 10,000 on a new kitchen? I dont know maybe some day, but it seems more of a risk to me to spend money on a legal business than maybe getting caught. Right now...It would be great to have a legal business, dont get me wrong, but I just cant jump right into it. Has anyone heard of someone actually getting caught or sued? Just wondering what that would really be like....

Another option you might try is a local legion or knights of columbus type organization. Generally they dont use their kitchens unless it's for a special occasion. Also since they open on weekends and late on some evenings like for darts or cards or whatever then you can bake after the children have had supper or whatever. Since these are non profit organizations you could maybe donate some of your baked goods to them to sell on their card/dart nights and they keep the profit in return for lending you the kitchen. Just an idea.

There is actually a VFW that I could walk to from my house, but it need major TLC! There is also no air conditioning and it gets really hot in the summer in there with an oven on. I'm still on the search.....I'm torn between just using my house anyways or using my church which is located in OHIO's kitchen (but it does flood when it rains a lot- darn flood plane) from what I found out if you do get caught you basically get sued and it's up to the group prosecuting how far to take it. Some people get a slap on the wrist others can even lose almost everything. IF you have a food borne illness it's more serious of a claim. But others can get turned in by people who are just mean! Like I said I'm torn on this one!

Just decided it's not worth the hassle and I'll do things when I'm legit. I read another thread on this and it kind of brought it all home to me.

Merissa- My birthday is on June 2 too . Happy Baking melissa

I live in Michigan too. I would check your township halls, county buildings, schools, churches,fairground buiding ect.... Where we live there are several I can rent for $10 hour. One is the fairgrounds, 1 is old firehouse, other is a towhship building. Good Luck
Judy

i live in michigan too. I never knew that we couldn't sell cakes out of our kitchens either. Well that shuts down my idea of making some extra money for the holidays. I just started decorating and have done some cakes for family and such and even did a few for some money but was thinking that I would start advertising around my neighbor hood to try and get some more business to make money for the holidays and vacation but since I won't be legal i can't do it. that sucks that people can't start out at home. I still live at home with parents so I can't just build another kitchen and I work from 3-11:30 at night so I can't really rent out kitchens since my only time would be in the morning and most people are using then during that time. would defintely be easy to work from work. I was hoping to have my own business one day but without getting practice and doing cakes for different people I don't see how that can happen now.

OK, just talked to someone at the township hall (this time the right person!) and he said that I can sell cakes from home if only it's a few here and there and that there will be no increase in traffic around my house and I can not advertise in my lawn. I can only put a 2ft. by 1 ft. sign on my house. Also, my DH would have to change his address of his business to his office's address considering only 1 home based business is allowed. (no problems there) Now comes the tricky part, trying to get a license from the county, they need to come out and inspect my home I imagine yet inspectors DO NOT inspect home residence kitchens! Oy Vey! Good luck to all of You in MI and other states having to find out whats allowed and what's not! Don't give up, where there is a will- there is a way!

I live in Chelsea and looking for a kitchen I can rent. NO LUCK.

Can you set up a used motor home for your kitchen???? Do you think the State pass it?

Have fun making cake