Nope. I had a café and baked all the goodies there, then it just naturally segued into decorating. I've never been illegal.
I run my business out of my home. My customers dont seem to have a problem with it. It helps me save money to open a store one day.
unfortunately in the state i live in now i'm no longer legal. I do have a legal business name and tax id that are registered with the government. I don't advertise my buisness by choice but i do have a special way of letting my customers know how to find and reach me
unfortunately in the state i live in now i'm no longer legal. I do have a legal business name and tax id that are registered with the government. I don't advertise my buisness by choice but i do have a special way of letting my customers know how to find and reach me
I am under the theory that all mechanics start in their garage, all contractors start in their backyard and all caterers (be it food or cake or whatever) start in their home kitchen (hello, Martha? Paula?)
I started from home. first for friends and family, then built a second legal kitchen in the basement. then moved to a store front.
I personally wouldn't do it any other way. I learned about running a business with out losing my shirt.
hth
I started in my licensed kitchen w/a store front. I've never sold anything from my home. Now that I've sold my shop I will not be doing any orders from home.
I've only sold five cakes, the rest have been family, friends and donations. I really do want to become legal, so I don't advertise at all and anyone who asks me about my cakes gets the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
I'm legal, and out of my home. I was working of a"different" license rather than the correct one when I started for a couple of weeks, then got my paperwork in proper order. I've always been licensed and inspected and legal.
You're nuts to do it any other way.
I think a lot more have started out this way than are willing to say.
I just watched a show yesterday (wedding central) that focused soley on wedding cakes and they featured, among others, Margaret Braun. She said she bakes and decorates right out of her tiny West Village apartment - and it is tiny - they showed her decorating one of her creations in it.
Now, I don't know if you can or can't be licensed from home in NY but I doubt they'd license her home kitchen since I read somewhere else that she lives there with her husband and her cat!! Anyhow, she's very famous and charges up to 15k for her cakes!
Not saying it's right or wrong...........just sayin'!
I'm licensed, but to me, a license just gives people a false assurance that they're getting a good, clean product. There are so many gross things that can and do happen in licensed facilities. Also, the health inspector comes around (unless there's a complaint) every what - 2 years? A few years ago, when I wanted my wedding cake replicated for my anniversary, I didn't hesitate to hire an awesome cake decorator, unlicensed, to make it. I had complete confidence in her. Her home was immaculate and she had made my baby shower cake, so I knew her cakes were great.
Also, I don't know about other states, but here in MI, you have to have a license to provide child care. I feel the same way about that. I am an adult who should be able to decide if someone is capable of watching my kids.
To me, if 2 people want to exchange goods or services, they should have a right to do it, as long as it's not illegal goods or services. Basically, having a license seems like a way for Uncle Sam to make sure he's getting his cut.
However, I did not want to be a home baker, so I went out and searched for a rental kitchen and did things on the up and up. I didn't want to get into trouble if someone ever complained. It feels good to be legit. I just don't think it should be mandatory!
Amber
I did make cakes from home for family before I opened up legally, but they were gifts. I think most of us start at home giving cakes away and then make the choice to go legal or not. I know for me there was no choice but to go legal. I would not want to be worried that someone would call me in. I love what I do and do it from a legal kitchen I know that where I live you need a seperate kitchen if you do it legal from home (I have a shop), but there are many in my area who choose to do their work under the table.
To each their own
No one ever disagrees with Indydebi!
Can I tell my husband that?
I'm a home baker because I have another job that I love and don't want to give up. I only bake for family and friends....I have a lot of friends. My dream job, though, would be to work for indydebi but it's too far to commute to Indiana
Paula
I am in the same boat, I love decorating cakes but I also love my job also cuz it pays well..I think i would have to work 18 hour days and advertise like crazy tom ake 1/2 of what I am making now. I live in california and you cant sell anything out of your kitchen no matter what. I started looking into certified kitchens that rent out space by the hour. Should I do that I would rent out space when i get like multiple orders and just knock it all out. However, my cakes are nowhere near selling quality yet! So i think I have some time ahead.!!!
i dont know... florida has rules and regulations, but some of the best bakers work from the kitchen in their house. when you come to me to do a tasting, you can see my house and my kitchen are spotless. my dogs have a gate that restricts them from comming into my kitchen.
there is a baker here in miami that is super uber famous, and her cakes used to be awesome... but i went there recently (my best friend is getting married, and im part of the wedding so i have no time to make the cake) and we went to her tasting and it was GROSE... YUCK!!!
so i think that if you can do it from your kitchen and make it AWESOME... go for it... then when its worth it for you to go legal, do it but keep your product just as AWESOME
I am working on becoming legal. Personally, I think all the hoops you have to jump through in my state are absolutely ridiculous. Have you seen the reports about the "legal" restaurants that have rats? Ewwww! My kitchen is WAYYYY cleaner than that! It's too bad not all states have cottage laws, or something similar....
Anyway, I asked a local caterer..no luck. Now I'm working on my church...(please, please please!!!) One of these days I WILL find a legal outlet. If I can't, then I'll just quit because it's not fair to have a full fledged business without jumping through the hoops. But I agree with indidebi. You gotta start somewhere!
I did start out in my home kitchen. I actually had no idea it wasn't legal until a few months into it. I have been working on my second kitchen since then, but my ignorance did get my feet wet without investing the few thousand that we are now. My new kitchen should be done next week and licensed next month! YAY! It does feel good to do it the legal way. I wouldn't want to continue any other way. That said, I would have had no idea if I could afford to open a kitchen without doing it first.
Danielle
That said, I would have had no idea if I could afford to open a kitchen without doing it first.
Danielle
You got that right! Try going to a bank to get a loan to open a food industry biz and tell them you have no experience, no customers, no track record, etc. Yeah.... THAT goes over well!
Amber 0717 wrote:
"To me, if 2 people want to exchange goods or services, they should have a right to do it, as long as it's not illegal goods or services. Basically, having a license seems like a way for Uncle Sam to make sure he's getting his cut".
I say---->"Ditto".
Amber 0717 wrote:
"To me, if 2 people want to exchange goods or services, they should have a right to do it, as long as it's not illegal goods or services. Basically, having a license seems like a way for Uncle Sam to make sure he's getting his cut".
I say---->"Ditto".
Okay, now try getting the Deptartments of Health and Agriculture, etc. to agree and we've got it made!
Yes I do advetise. I called down town to ask about becoming legal. The gentleman I spoke to went to a private line and asked me how much business do I actually do. I told him about $200 a month and he said dont even bother. He said just lay low and if they ask say I didnt know. I thanked him for the info. He said its really expensive to get licensed and all the needed documention and I wasnt making that much yet. So thats what Im doing. Until I build my clientel Im keeping it in my home. I cant afford to rent a store. I am looking into renting a comercial kitchen though. My county doesnt seem to be looking at a lot of home based businesses right now. I'm calling it a blessing.
When I first starting making cakes it was just for family and friends and then friends of friends and then people my husband worked with and so on. I knew then that I needed to be legal. So my husband's 401K went to build me a legal kitchen in our basement and now I am licensed by the state. After that I had businesses appproach me then that could not buy from me until I was legal. And the rest is history. I was also catering which I did not know you could not do from home but now I am doing from a licensed kitchen at the college here. I have to pay by the hour but you do what you have to. I still do all b my baking at home but any catering meals I do at the commerical kitchen. It's actually better when I have a large job I am not so cramped up in my smaller kitchen. Either way I love what I do.
I basically bake for friends and family, but have a few friends that passed my name on to their relatives.
I try to be careful with talking to people I don't know about it because I want to stay small until I can do it legally.
If I could quit my day job and just decorate out of a shop I would in a heartbeat. I even tried applying to a few places just to get experience in a bakery, but the sad thing is if you don't have experience in a bakery they don't want to talk to you.
i worked in a few bakeries...and made ONE wedding cake in my kitchen.............working at home is not for me......WHAT A MESS!
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