Georgia Cottage Food Laws

As most of you know, about a year and 5 months ago Rockdale Citizen ran an article about Sugar and Spice Sweets. The next day the county called me and informed me that even though I was licensed through the state what I was doing was illegal because home baking is illegal in the county! I cancelled all of my future orders and that was that. I never really thought that the law would change. I kind of just thought that one of two things would happen #1 I would bake again once we moved to another county/state that allowed it. #2 I would bake again once all three girls were school aged and we could buy a store front. So I put that dream on the back burner indefinitely.
Jeremy, on the other hand, started researching and found some people in the state that were fighting to get the state and county laws changed! Before we knew it there was legislation being passed that changed the state laws for in home baking. On September 1 the new guidelines went into effect for the state that allowed home bakers to be licensed! Once the state took that action Jeremy started to take action with our county commissioners in order to get our regulations for in home baking changed in Rockdale. Last Tuesday we were invited to attend the weekly Commissioners Meeting. Jeremy spoke to the panel about the Georgia Cottage Food Law and the hopes that we have that the county will adopt them. Everyone on the panel was VERY much in favor of this. It was just so exciting to not only see my husband fight for something that I am so passionate about but to also see the county excited about legalizing home baking!
After the meeting several people came up to us asking questions. One of the people was from one of the newspapers in Rockdale. She asked tons of questions and even came out to our house with a crew to take pictures of the family on Thursday afternoon. She ran an article about everything on Saturday.
So, we are hoping that Rockdale will legalize home baking within the next few months and then I can get inspected and licensed and get back to it! It's so hard for me to even imagine baking professionally again and knowing that I am allowed to do it!
It's been a good 1 year and 5 months off though. In that time I had a great bake free summer with Hayden and Layne and I had a baby! When I come back I am going to have my priorities right. I am not going to sacrifice my time with God or family in order to bake. I will set guidelines and limits so that it doesn't happen. It's going to be outstanding to be back in the kitchen as Sugar and Spice Sweets.

Click Here to read the article that The News ran about Sugar and Spice Sweets and The Cottage Food Laws.