Recipes for Success at a Glance
A Bit of Background
In 2013, the California State Legislature passed the "California Homemade Food Act," which permits residents in the state to produce low-risk, nonperishable foods in their home kitchens and sell their products to the general public. These are known as "Cottage Food Operations" or CFOs.
Recipes For Success is a cottage food microenterprise program started by Opportunity Stanislaus cottage to teach aspiring entrepreneurs in Stanislaus County how to start a small food business out of their home kitchen.
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The program consists of four classes that cover regulations and guidelines; permitting requirements; food safety training; and the basics of managing and promoting a small business. At the end of the classes, each participant will receive a ServSafe certificate, which is required in order to obtain a cottage food license. Follow-up assistance will be provided to help program participants navigate the permitting process and access local resources for small businesses. In total the four courses consist of 12 classroom hours.
Before applying, prospective program participants are strongly encouraged to learn more about the program by clicking on the button below titled "Learn More."
Recipes for Success: Program Components
Classes
Classes through the Recipes for Success program offer instruction covering:
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Guidelines and requirements for cottage food businesses in California
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Licensing and permitting requirements
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Food safety, including ServSafe certification
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Fundamentals of managing and promoting a small business
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All enrollees in the class will have the cost of their ServSafe certification covered (first attempt) as well as their County Cottage Food License if they attend all four class sessions. Participants will be responsible for covering all other costs associated with starting their business.
Follow-Up Assistance
After the four cottage food classes have been completed and the ServSafe certificate has been obtained, staff will contact participants to assist in navigating the permitting and licensing process, answer any follow up questions, connect participants with local resources available to small businesses and start-ups, and help them access markets and vendors. All enrollees in the class will have the cost of their ServSafe certification covered (first attempt) as well as their County Cottage Food License if they attend all four class sessions. Participants will be responsible for covering all other costs associated with starting their business.
Connections to Small Business Resources
Staff will connect Recipes for Success participants with local resources that are available to small businesses including:
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Valley Sierra Small Business Development Center in Modesto
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UC Merced Venture Lab in Modesto
Meet The Team
Gavin Bruce
Program Manager
For any questions about the program or the application process, please feel free to contact Gavin:
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Direct Phone: (209) 488-4526
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Email:
Aluriel Ceballos
Marketing and Special Projects Coordinator
Para ayuda en Espanol, por favor contacta Aluriel:
Telefono: (209) 488-4528
Email:
Terri Spezzano
Instructor
Terri is a PhD Graduate Student in Health Economics and Public Health and an Albert Schweitzer Fellow at the Health Sciences Research Institute at the University of California, Merced.
Application Process
In order to be considered for the classes, all interested people must fill out an application. Both pages of the application must be filled out in full in order to be considered. The application form can be found by clicking the button below.
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Once the application has been filled out in its entirety, please email it to
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After the application is submitted, prospective candidates will be contacted and notified of their acceptance into the class.
Recipes For Success
To apply for our Recipes for Success Program please fill out the application and email it to gbruce@opportunitystanislaus.com.
Contact
1625 I St, Modesto, CA 95354
(209)488-4528
