Ok so semi long story. I did several cakes this week have not had a chance to post pictures yet. Anyways did a small wedding cake & helped best friend make a sculpted cake for her 30th birthday. One of the guest used to be a caterer for private parties weddings etc. So she sought me out said she was impressed with my cakes I just happened to have my digital camera & showed her some of the cakes I had on it. I do not have a kitchen like most of you I do it out of my house. She said she did not hear me say that. She highly recomened me to get kitchen certified some class that helps protect you. She said I needed to get insurance but in order to do that needed a licensed kitchen. She said the insurance would protect me if someone ate the cake & tried to say it made them sick so they could sue me. So now I am all freaked out not that my cakes would ever make anyone sick. But the fact that you never know who is sue happy these days. What is your thought on the matter does anyone have any stories. It makes me want to rethink the whole thing yikes 
I've never been sued. I probably never will be. But do I want to wager everything I have on "probably"? Nope.
Therefor, I'm licensed and insured. Only way to go.
In Texas you can not legally do cakes out of your home kitchen, so I seriously doubt you will be able to get liscenced to do so.
Yup I am fully aware you can not cook out of your kitchen for profit. Her point was to find a kitchen which at this point I can not afford one. She suggested finding a kitchen then also get the insurance. Brandi do you have a store front or are you able to bake out of the house?
I am a home-based business, but bake out of a commercial kitchen. I go there once every two weeks or so - bake as much as I can. I pay about $13/hr. - so twice a month isn't so bad. I will go more often if I have a last minute order (but I charge extra for rush orders because of this).
It's kind of a pain, which is why I am converting my garage.
I know the rules are slightly different country to country, but if you are doing it as a hobby then it is different but if you want to run a business, whether it be part-time, home-based, shop-based you should have 3rd party liability insurance, I had it when I ran a home-based catering business in London, England, $90 for the year and meant that if someone happened to get food poisoning and sued me then I had coverage. I mean obviously any of us would be mortified if anyone got sick from one of our cakes, but as a food based business I would say once you are licensed you definitely should get it, better to err on the side of caution.
You just need to talk to your insurance agent and see what is available. If you can't get a business liability policy, perhaps he has an option for something like a personal umbrella liability policy that might cover your baking "hobby" ( 
) activity.
Thanks indy for the suggestion I will give him a call first thing monday.
I have insurance--190 a year for something like 300k coverage if I remember correctly. It also covers in case any of my equipment would get ruined (fire, etc). We can be home-based in Iowa, but I am also City-Licensed just to have that other "feather" in my hat so people don't question me regarding my practices/legality. 
FWIW, I looked into small business rules, insurance, etc... in the state OH. I have a friend who has a peanut brittle business. She told me that her insurance, for her LLC, Limited Liability Corp, runs her about 600 dollars a year. I don't think thats a high price to pay for peace of mind that some crazy person won't be able to sue you and take everything you've worked so hard for. Also, I looked into home bakery and licensing, and in OH, you can have a home bakery. But, you can't have pets in the home (or carpet in the kitchen?!). I have a dog. So, since he was here first, I may have to rent out space eventually.
Good luck. 
I also have an LLC--limited liability corporation, so any suits would apparently be pointed toward the business, and not me personally, unless there was gross intentional negligence (purposefully using rotten eggs, etc.). Our state also has the rules about no pets and I have never heard the carpet in the kitchen but it would scare me to see what my kitchen would look like after all the baking!! 
Yup I am fully aware you can not cook out of your kitchen for profit. Her point was to find a kitchen which at this point I can not afford one. She suggested finding a kitchen then also get the insurance. Brandi do you have a store front or are you able to bake out of the house?
which is why when i get cake orders i quote them the fee as the cost of materials. and i'm honest too. if they pay more i consider it a tip. it probably doesn't fit in the ok category in the sense we're discussin but i try
I am now in the process of finding a food health class at city college to get a license. Then I have to find a licensed kitchen. Where I live the hotels will not let you come in with a wedding cake without a license. I have had to turn down wedding cakes because of this. I have someone who is going to help me with this part but where do I get insurance? Do I go through a regular insurance company like Allstate?
but where do I get insurance? Do I go through a regular insurance company like Allstate?
Start with your insurance agent ... the guy who handles your car insurance and your homeowners insurance. I prefer dealing with an independent agent as opposed to a house-agent (one who has access to multiple insurance companies as opposed to an Allstate or a State Farm type who only has access to one company).
I'm in the process of opening my business (catering now, cakes later 
). I am looking into insurance right now. I would not sell any food item without it being in place. You are correct in saying it is a sue happy society. I don't want my personal assets to be seized by being sued for a food related item.
heavenscent - you cannot be legal in the state of Texas to sell food products from your home. In order for you to be food safe certified and insured, you must operate your business from a commercial kitchen. Not sure about Lewisville is in, but you can check with your local city health department for more information. I have recently invested in renting commercial kitchen space in order to obide by these regulations, so if you have any questions, you can pm me. It's not only a matter of being sued by an individual (God forbid!) but also being fined by by the health inspector (yikes!)
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