You May Soon Sell Homemade Cookies Legally (In California)

Every food vendor in Brooklyn knows that renting out a commercial kitchen to make a batch of cookies is kind of a pain (not to mention pricey), so perhaps New York should take a cue from California.

The California legislature recently passed bill AB 1616, which would allow home bakers to legally sell their baked muffins, cookies, etc. And while some consumers are freaking out about possible unsanitary kitchen conditions where their food is prepared, assemblyman Mike Gatto hopes that this would make creating a small food busines a more attainable goal.

LAist reports that the bill will allow bakers to sell as much as $35,000 worth of homemade goods a year (with the number going up to $50,000 by 2015). Products cannot contain cream or meat, and anyone selling to customers is required to register with health departments and take courses about food handling.

While this is good news for people limited by pricey commercial kitchen rentals, we suppose it is kind of scary to think about what sort of kitchens food comes out of. "There's no way to ensure that they have the minimum standards in place — basic hot and cold running water, equipment in good repair," said Liza Frias, chair of the California Retail Food Safety Coalition, told the LAist. "We don't want baked goods coming out with metal in them."

But honestly, some of the most authentic foods we've had (not to mention the best Mexican food ever) has come out of home kitchens. We just have to wait to see if Governor Brown agrees.