i'm in massachusetts and have just started looking into selling cakes out of my home (in mass, you don't need to operate out of a separate kitchen). currently, i do cakes for friends and family but would like to branch out and possibly advertise. the problem is that i am not licensed just yet. i want to give it a try to see if i will be succesful at it before i shell out the money it costs to become "legal".

from reading various posts, i realize that there are many CC'ers who don't condone doing this "illegally" but i have to get started somewhere. there must be some of you who are now legal that were not at some point in your career.
i plan on becoming legal once i figure out if this is something i can be successful at and make a little extra money in.

my question is for the bakers who are operating a business out of their home.
do you advertise at all? or just keep it to word of mouth? do you inform customers that you are not licensed when they order from you?

thank you in advance for any advice

I'm interested in this as well.

OOOOHHH yes me too. So Bump

I don't have the answers you are looking for but an option you also have is to ask about using your church's kitchen, or a VFW or even a hall since they usually don't use their kitchen. That way you are not spending a fortune on finding out if your business can make it. This is what I'm doing, I'm using my church's kitchen and paying them a small % from each order. The license in Ohio cost only $30 for a wholesale bakery, I know in other places that cost is much higher (like in New York--around$270) just a suggestion. Good luck---Melissa

I bake at home for my friends and family. I also would like to bake and sell from my home. But there are so many things you have to worry about. Other bakeries, if they know you are taking their business, they can report you. If somenone gets sick from a cake, you can get sued. If you own your house, you have to worry about your home insurance company finding out and maybe cancelling your policy. And about advertising, some one said that is just a reason for the health department to knock on your door.

I live in Atlanta, and there you can't operate a baking business out of your home..you either rent out space or lease. Hope this helps..but don't be discourage, work with family and friends...and establish business like that, and maybe eventually you can open up a place..GOOD LUCK!

I just stick to friends and family. NO advertising, you could get in trouble. The people I make them for know I'm not licensed but they trust me and I trust them. For now I just have to keep it at that.

I was told by a very successful baker in Maryland who owns a very well known bakery that pretty much everyone starts out at home, (usually illegally at first) and then works up from there. Whether or not that is what you choose to do is your business but that is out of the mouth of a very well known bakery owner that did a class at a small cake show I attended last year.

I do most of my decorating by word of mouth...I also have a website where people can find me. I make it clear I work out of my home and do not claim to be legal but I don't specifically say "unlicensed". I have advertised a few times on the free "craigslist" but that's pretty much it. I also have business cards that I hand out to my customers. I don't really have a whole lot of business, sometimes I'll have a busy weekend but for the most part its fairly sporadic.

I DO plan on seriously looking into becoming legal next year. I think in PA its fairly easy to get your kitchen approved and everything and not too much money, just a pain to do the taxes...but I think I'm going to take the plunge next year. Right now I'm really not getting alot of cake business and I want to be able to put my business cards at bridal shops and stuff like that. So I think that's what I'm going to do.

Right now I work p/t at a caterers doing wedding cakes. I'd like to be legal at home so eventually I can be making the money on my own instead of going out to work.

Anyway that's my two cents.

i don't advertise but i do have a myspace page and i put my "hobby" up there (all my cakes that i've done)... people see it (my friends) and they want to get cakes from me... i usually don't go into the whole "i'm not legal thing" unless they ask me to make a wedding cake, then depending on the venue (if they're having it at a supper club, i can't do it or if they're having it in a park, i can)... i just want to get as many cakes as i can and hopefully within a few years we'll be able to move out of our house (we don't have enough room to add on) and that way i can open a business...

I don't know that I ever want to charge.

I prefer to do them my way. It's when people start getting NEEDY that my creativity gets squashed.

Most people I do cakes for have faith in me to provide a cake of which they can be proud. Sometimes, people who've seen those cakes will ask me to do them a cake. When I tell them my requirements...

1. I don't want any more details than

flavor
theme
color preferences

2. I can't accept money

3. In lieu of payment, I would like for them to make a donation to a non-profit organization (red cross, CMN...) in an amount that is comfortable. If, after they see the cake, they wish to donate more...even better.

I work full time as a cake decorator to finance what I enjoy doing...cakes.
I enjoy the smiles...sometimes tears...that one of MY cakes bring.
Call me corny if you want...I don't think I can earn enough money to get that same thrill.

If I ever decide to open a bakery, there will be enough clientele to keep me in business for many years.


Oh, yeah, to answer the original question...I don't advertise. It's word of mouth only. Yes, I do tell them I am not licensed.

kitagirl your from the NE Philly suburbs? Im from the mayfair area!!

Mommbudda,the myspace idea is great, im sure a lot of people view your cakes.

I would also like to become legal eventually but Im just starting out and the people that get cakes from me know its from my kitchen and I don't have a legal business

There have been exceptions to each of those requirements that I listed....and every time I've made an exception, I wound up with more stress than I could handle.

I'm in Iowa where you may bake from home without a license or health permit [/i]if your products do not require refrigeration.[i] I do have a federal ID and sales tax permit though. Check into stipulations like that from your health dept. It's worth a few phone calls to have the peace of mind that you won't get a huge fine if the wrong person finds out and turns you in. Most people you can trust, but all it takes is one jealous competitor and it's all over. Be safe and good luck!