Questions For Licensed Ut Home Bakers

Business By saffronica Updated 8 Sep 2009 , 8:31pm by CookinKristi

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saffronica Posted 7 Aug 2009 , 10:59pm
post #1 of 11

I've had several people ask me to sell them cakes recently, so I'm thinking about trying to get legal. I've read all the information I could find online, but I was hoping someone who has already been through the process could answer some questions. I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions once I get the process started -- right now I'm just trying to figure out if I should even start.

How long did the process take? About how much did it end up costing? What problems did you encounter? Was the Ag. Dept/HD friendly and helpful, or do you have to fight every step?

Thanks!

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hjustesen Posted 19 Aug 2009 , 3:09pm
post #2 of 11

I'll email this link to my sister, who does cakes at home in SLC. Her computer is down right now, so it'll be a bit before she can get back to you.

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saffronica Posted 19 Aug 2009 , 7:30pm
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Thanks, I appreciate it. I was starting to think there weren't any licensed home bakers in Utah, at least not on CC, which I took to mean that either it's really hard to get licensed, or that having a home business might be more lucrative than I thought!

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CookinKristi Posted 25 Aug 2009 , 9:22pm
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If you want to follow all of the guidelines for the Heath department in Utah, you need to look at the Cottage Food rules. The link is http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r070/r070-560.htm

Once you have everything ready, you can have an inspection set up through the Utah Department of Agriculture and the Heath Department. The Cottage Food rules have a contact that will help you with this. She helped answer my questions about some of the rules too.

Let me know if you have any questions about the rules once you read through them, there are a lot!

Kristi

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jbc Posted 25 Aug 2009 , 9:41pm
post #5 of 11

I am glad you asked this. I do cake decorating as a hobby right now, but I keep having people ask me to make cakes for them. I knew about the cottage laws, but haven't gone any farther because I am not sure I want to do it as more than a hobby. I will be interested to see what information people have about what they had to do and the cost also.

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saffronica Posted 27 Aug 2009 , 5:36am
post #6 of 11

Thanks for the replies. I have already read all the laws, guidelines, etc. online, and I've even corresponded a little with the contact person listed on the Ag. Dept.'s website. I've had several people ask me to sell them cakes recently, and I guess I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it to go through all that hassle and expense -- in part because I'm not sure how much hassle and expense will be involved. Any thoughts or ideas?

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CookinKristi Posted 3 Sep 2009 , 5:33pm
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It is a lot of work to set things up according to the Cottage Food rules. Everything you use for your cakes has to be seperate from what you use for everyday cooking. I had to buy all new dishes, utinsils and pans. You also have to store the food seperately, so I have big tupperwares with all the ingredients used in my cakes. You also have to have a seperate refridgerator for the eggs, milk and butter you use and to store the cakes in before they are picked up or delivered.

It is a lot of work and expense to follow the rules right. In my opinion, if you are not really serious about having a business, it's probably not worth it. There's a lot of time involved in submitting recipes and having them approved (some of mine had to be tested to be sure they are shelf stable before I could use them) on top of the expense in buying everything you need.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Kristi

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saffronica Posted 8 Sep 2009 , 5:35am
post #8 of 11

Thanks, Kristi, that's exactly the kind of information I'm looking for. I knew that separate storage and refrigeration was required, and I have that, but I didn't know about the separate equipment -- that's a big one. I know it's personal, so don't answer if you don't want, but do you know about how long it took and how much you spent trying to get legal?

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cheesecakekathy Posted 8 Sep 2009 , 7:00am
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I am trying to go full steam ahead as well - but what is really stopping me is the economy. I recently moved to a new area and I am trying to see what the guidelines are for this area. I live in southbend, Indiana and I want to know what should I do to get started in my own cake shop. So if anyone can give some more information that could be helpful to me I would appreciate it.

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cheesecakekathy Posted 8 Sep 2009 , 7:00am
post #10 of 11

I am trying to go full steam ahead as well - but what is really stopping me is the economy. I recently moved to a new area and I am trying to see what the guidelines are for this area. I live in southbend, Indiana and I want to know what should I do to get started in my own cake shop. So if anyone can give some more information that could be helpful to me I would appreciate it. icon_smile.gif

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CookinKristi Posted 8 Sep 2009 , 8:31pm
post #11 of 11

I have all of the receipts from the equipment I bought, but I haven't added it up yet. It's something I just did this year. They did say I could use my KitchenAid for both domestic and business use if I properly sanitized the bowl and mixer before I used it for cakes. She said they are not too strict when it comes to the bigger equipment, so you mostly have to buy cooking utensils and pans. I don't know if the laws in Indiana are different or not. You could probably do a search and find out.

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