Since the Texas Legislature passed a law—commonly referred to as the cottage food law—in 2011 that made it legal to sell certain baked goods made in the home, the law has inspired bakers in Cypress.

Weeks after the legislation was approved, Cypress resident Christina Dudley launched her home-based business, Pretty Pops, and has since grown her business locally.

“People had been doing this for decades, but [the Legislature] just made it legal to sell things that don’t require refrigeration,” Dudley said. “There’s no consistent regulatory agency coming to a person’s home because if you’re following the law, foods we are allowed to sell are not potentially hazardous.”

Jenna Crawford, owner of Sinfully Sweet, launched her custom cake business in 2013 after following news on the cottage food law.

“When it passed I thought, ‘OK, this is possible for me to do now,’” she said. “It opens more avenues for you to run a business. If it’s recognized as legal, it’s not just someone who bakes cakes for their friends; it’s an actual business and your livelihood.”

Although they are not regulated by the health department, business owners who operate under the cottage food law are required to take a class to learn basic sanitation guidelines. However these businesses still cannot sell their products at most public events.

“I would like to see cottage food operators be able to sell at big events,” Dudley said. “We can’t even sample our foods, so I think that would open up a bigger market. It only helps local businesses and the economy when people buy locally.”

Pretty Pops

Christina Dudley makes a variety of custom cake balls and pops through Pretty Pops.

“I love food and baking,” Dudley said. “I spend six hours in the kitchen on Saturdays and I love it.”

Customers can pick up their orders from Dudley’s house, but she said most prefer to have them delivered since it is free for orders that are more than $30.

“Under the law it has to be a face-to-face transaction,” Dudley said. “The spirit of the law is that the customer sees who the person is who created the product.”

Most of her business comes from women hosting various parties, such as baby showers, bridal showers, wedding showers, children’s birthday parties and weddings.

For more information on the business, visit www.facebook.com/prettypops

Sinfully Sweet

Jenna Crawford specializes in custom, made-to-order cakes through her home-based business, Sinfully Sweet. She launched the business in early 2013, but her love for baking and cakes began years beforehand.

“I’ve always loved looking at cakes and all the different ways you can make a piece of art that is edible,” she said. “The art I create is not something you can walk into a grocery store and get.”

“I love going out of the box and designing something for the event, rather than a catalogue,” she said.

Crawford makes cakes for any type of occasion, including birthday parties and weddings. All of her creations take hours to put together—the most time-intensive of which took almost 18 hours.

For more information on the business, visit www.facebook.com/SinfullySweetCCC.