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Coming Soon: Classes for Artisans and Makers

The Recipes for Success Program will soon be offering classes and webinars for artisans and makers who are interested in starting a small home-based business.

Stay tuned to find out more about the classes and when they will be offered.

Webinar Registration

We will be hosting a free two-part webinar on how to start a cottage food business. Part one of the webinar will be on August 19th at 6pm. Part two will be August 26th at 6pm. If you are interested in signing up, please access the registration form by clicking the button, fill out both pages, and email to Gavin Bruce at . If you are having difficulty, contact him directly at (209) 488-4526.

COVID-19 Update

Due to the ever-changing situation regarding COVID-19, all in-person classes are postponed until further notice.

For the time being, we will only be providing webinars.

For information on upcoming webinars and how to sign up, please view the "Classes and Sign-Ups" page below.

Our staff can still be reached for general inquiries regarding our program or cottage food businesses in general.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

If you currently own a small business and are looking for resources related to COVID-19 and small business relief, visit by clicking the button below.

www.cabizrelief.org

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 to teach aspiring entrepreneurs in Stanislaus County how to start a small food business out of their home kitchen.

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."

More About Cottage Foods

Recipes for Success: Program Components

Classes

Classes through the Recipes for Success program offer instruction covering:

Guidelines and requirements for cottage food businesses in California
Licensing and permitting requirements
Food safety, including ServSafe certification
Fundamentals of managing and promoting a small business
All Stanislaus County residents who participate in the webinars and/or the physical classes are entitled to follow-up assistance after the last webinar.
All Stanislaus County residents enrolled in the physical, in-person classes are eligible for a reimbursement for the cost of their cottage food license. For webinars, only Modesto residents are eligible for this reimbursement

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.