I really want to become licensed and be able to advertise. I am looking for a licensed kitchen and have emailed a few churches and one place I found online.

Can you tell me what are the rules about doing the work in the kitchen vs at home. Do I have to do all the molding and such at the kitchen or can I take fondant flowers/animals etc and just bake the cake and make frosting and just put it all together.

Also I called the Dept of Agriculture and she wasnt to helpful. She just said we will inspect your kitchen the hours you will be there, I wont be there any set hours just when i have a cake to do and she said well we will meet you there. I said what about the class I read about and she said "yup you have to take that" Basically she wasnt very helpful and the website isnt to helpful either. Can someone tell me the process when I do find a kitchen.

Thanks I am just starting into all of this so any advice or direction will be helpful!

you have to do everything in a licensed and inspected commercial kitchen separate from your home. so nothing can be done in your home at all.

here is what you will need to be a legal business in Florida:
1. food managers class and cert $150
2. find a kitchen, i use catering companies kitchen $50 per use
3. get a tax id number and file your business corp papers, we used a cpa to do this $250
4. get the kitchen inspected by the department of agriculture for you food license, inspection is free but the license cost me $530 per year
5. get an occupational license from your city zoning board/department, you will need to have the place you are using fire inspected and sometimes building inspected. they then give you the paper work to get your local city tax info $50
6. liability insurance $550


not a cheap venture in Florida

Wow I guess not! Wasn't thinking of all that! Question though if I am using a licensed kitchen why would I have to have it fire inspected and building inspected, wouldn't this have already been done?

i had the same question
the other business had it done under thier business for thier occupational license, you have to get your own occupational license so you have to have the inspections done for your business.

the fire inspector was out not one week for the catering company and was back out for me 3 days later.

Well... I need to re-evaluate this then. I am not sure I can afford all of that. Thanks for answering my questions I appreciate it.