Hi! I live in NC and I want to make and decorate cakes professionally. I would like to eventually become licensed. We have an unfinished basement that I would like to turn into a seperate kitchen for my cake business. Financially, I probably wont be able to do this for a few years. Also I have young children that keep me very busy so I'm not ready to take on too much right now. My question is in the meantime is it ok legally for me to charge money for my cakes? What about just charging for the cost of the ingredients? I don't really *need* to make a profit but can't afford to just give them away very often. So what is OK for me to charge (if anything) while I'm working toward my goal of being a licensed professional? Any advice is appreciated.

Hi.

There have been lots of posts about this subject. First, contact the dept of agric and ask them if you can have a separate kitchen in your home to do cakes. Ask them what is requried. Ask them if you can work from someone else's licensed kitchen.

Second, if you charge anything for your cakes it is considered a sale and you could get in trouble if caught.

Laws and requirements are different in each state. Be careful and do research.

I also live in NC, talk to the dept of Ag. but basically we can cook out of our home kitchens as long as it has been inspected by the health dept (no pets in the house). If you are not legal you can bake for others and take money but you cannot "conduct business". That means you cannot solicit business, either via business cards, websites or verbally. Basically, if someone comes to you wanting a cake you can make and charge accordingly. Just NO marketing/advertising, etc that could be construed as "doing business" HTH