Cooking up a home business in Dingman Township

March 10--The fantasy of earning money by baking at home usually strikes after the first batch of cookies comes out of the oven.

A warm cookie and an icy glass of milk can be inspirational.

What does it take to go professional from your own kitchen?

Jennifer Wallace of Dingman Township has made that dream a reality by getting her home kitchen licensed and inspected by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and launching an Internet baking business, jennibakes4u.com.

Wallace, 49, took a cake decorating class in 1979, and got hooked on decorative frosting. She started to teach cake decorating and now teaches classes at AC Moore in Newton, N.J.

Every time she teaches a class, she bakes a cake or some cookies to decorate and then gives the goods away. Through the years, she has given away lots of treats, and people often ask why she doesn't sell her cute confections.

She can't, because in New Jersey, it is against the law to sell baked goods made in a home. There is a movement afoot to change that law in the New Jersey Legislature, however.

Wallace actually lives in New Jersey most of the time. But when her family bought a vacation home in Dingman Township, she looked into licensing in Pennsylvania and found the process relatively easy by comparison.

It took six weeks to get her license, and she launched her business in December.

Getting licensed

First Wallace checked with the township and got a zoning variance for a no-impact home-based business.

She downloaded an application from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and worked her way through about a dozen pages.

The application process helps applicants learn the rules. No pets or children are allowed in the home kitchen; commercial cooking ingredients and personal cooking ingredients must be kept separate; and everything has to be properly labeled.

Wallace was required to have her well tested, provide a business plan and have a food safety inspector inspect her home. There are certain things a home baker is not allowed to produce because of moisture content that could lead to bacteria growth, including cheesecake, pumpkin goods and most pies.

The fees for licensing and liability insurance totaled around $1,000.

Gingerbread

Wallace makes cakes, cupcakes and anything to order, but she specializes in gingerbread cookies.

She says cookies are more fun than cake in some ways because there is some pressure when it comes to cakes.

"Cake is the star of the show. Cookies play a supporting role," Wallace said.

She tried many gingerbread recipes, using her family as willing testers, before landing on a mild but flavorful recipe that stays soft.

She loads cookies with colorful vanilla frosting, and admits that she sometimes spends too much time fussing with a single cookie, adding layers of sweet texture and intricate designs.

"I don't know when to stop," Wallace giggles. The result, though, is beautiful.

Gingerbread is a natural preservative, so sealed cookies last for three weeks.

Delivering smiles

Wallace is highly creative and can customize treats to fit any theme. She has made animals to match a print in a baby blanket, company logos and college care packages.

She is not licensed for customers to come to her location, so she will deliver in some local cases or mail anywhere in the country. Wallace is still figuring out where she will sell her treats. She has done craft shows, sold batches to a store in New Jersey and will do banquets.

Cookies average $3 each with a minimum order of six. Her largest project so far required the baking, frosting and decorating of 500 cookies for a favor at a banquet.

Wallace advises two weeks advance notice for orders because the cookies are time-consuming and she is the only employee in her kitchen.

"When people get a cookie, they smile," Wallace said. "I'm delivering smiles."

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