A friend told me to ask here to see if I can get some help as she does cakes in her home on a small scale with just basic household supplies. After a google search I could not find much useful information so I am turning here for help. Unlike others who have asked about materials for starting a bakery I am not going to be running a bakery myself and have no knowledge of what items are necessary. I am opening a wedding and event venue with a lot of things going on (my history is 10 years as a wedding photographer and 3 as a wedding planner). In order to finish up my spreadsheets of where money is being allocated to I need to make a list of items needed for each "store" and venue that I will be having. We already have the land and money but just need to know where to spend that money. One of the "stores" that we will be having is a cake shop. This is where bakers can come in and fill orders for our clients use on property as well as any orders they may take themselves. I am thinking that the baker(s) will provide all the ingredients and such but I will be providing them with the full work space and needed items (some sort of oven, mixers, tables, coolers, racks, piping tools, fondant roller, and other things I have seen on the baking shows...).  I will get that figured out once we start building and I get my vendors in line. For now, I just have the questions below:

To help me along I would love to know what your favorite items are in your bakery and what you cannot live without?
If you could splurge what would you get?

I was hoping to find a checklist of items recommended for bakeries but have yet to come across one so I am making my own and then will be getting a quote for all the supplies.

Thank you!!!!!

i've never used the agbay cake torting knife but i was always quite tempted to get one:

http://www.agbayproducts.com/

essentials: footed turntables, an airbrush and some mixers, pans of course --

i would require my bakers to provide their own utensils if it was me -- maybe provide some plastic scrapers but  things are going to walk off and i don't mean that in a bad way -- how often have we all walked off with someone else's pen -- it just happens -- when a cake is born -- there's deadlines to meet and things can sometimes get a little anxious -- not a good time to be dividing up piping tops and spatulas --- so i'd have the bakers provide their own small wares--

yeah.  I would just provide the basics like an oven, fridge, mixer, microwave.  Then you can have locked cabinets for the bakers to store their stuff. A friend of mine ran something similar to this.  She called it Share Kitchen.  She just provided the basics and space to store your stuff.  https://www.palmspringslife.com/sharekitchen-caters-to-budding-food-entrepreneurs/

oh but you need speed racks fitted with upside down sheet pans so you/they have somewhere to put the cake pans when they slide them in & out the ovens