I am looking and calling and not getting anywhere. Please tell me what method you are using and how many cakes you typically make to make it worth it?
Thanks,
nicole in MD

You may not get a call back because they are overwhelmed with home baker calls. They take up too much time to answer and the cost is prohibitive. They will answer you if you look up the information yourself, do the research, and call with specific questions. If they know that you understand the costs and are moving forward, the they are great helps.

The requirements are some of the highest in the country, similar to FDA certification. There are many more food safety requirements too.

You are going to need a completely separate kitchen (if attached to the house, no access), drains in the floors, three separate sinks, one far from the others, proper surfaces, possibly a 500 gal grease trap that is underground (excavating contractor and permits), regulation three basin sink, and a restroom if you allow customers in, even for tasting. You will need zoning approval, plan approval, possibly by an architect, a licensed contractor to pull permits, and engineering approval. You need self-closing doors, a pest control cotract, food safety certification... essentially every requirement that a restaurant has.

Look up the code online or have a contractor give it to you. If you go into the office, request the application, study it and understand it. Figure your costs, decide you want to do it, obtain the funds for the project, then call for a meeting to go over your application.

My husband and I are both contractors and we owned the property. The space was already finished and we spent about $25K. Had we not been contractors, the bids we got were closer to $50K.

As scp1127 so very clearly stated everything you will need: it ain't easy. In Anne Arundel County, you *must* have an architect submit plans, even if you are only tearing down a wall.

The number of cakes you need to make is depeding on many different factors, including WHERE in MD you are, how much your rent, employees, taxes, what type of property you are on, workmans comp, insurance, etc.

But, where there is a will, there is a way!