New Oklahoma Bill Could Sweeten Pot For Home Bakers

Oklahoma home bakers are one step away from being able to make profit from their craft.

The Home Bakery Act passed in both the state House and Senate and is now in the hands of Gov. Mary Fallin.

The bill passed unanimously in the House, and in the Senate, it passed with a 38-6 vote.

Supporters said there's nothing wrong with making a little extra cash by selling baked goods.

But opponents argue lawmakers need to look at the sanitation aspect of the bill before it becomes law.

At this year's "Fun With Sugar" expo, bakers from all over the region sweetened their skills.

"It's the best thing, because you can sit down with people who have years and years of experience," home baker Susan Bohannon said.

Currently, home bakers in Oklahoma are not allowed to sell goodies without a food preparation license.

For the past four years, Bohannon has fought to have that changed.

"I'm almost 65 years old," Bohannon said. "I'm hoping to retire soon and it will be supplemental income for me, and besides, it's my passion."

Under the Home Bakery Act, a home baker can't sell more than $20,000 worth of baked goods a year.

They also are not allowed to sell treats that have meat or fresh fruit.

And all products must be clearly labeled showing it's from a home bakery that is not inspected by the health department.

"There are places out there, kitchens that I've been in during the course of the time that I've been involved in sugar craft, that I would not sit in a chair let alone order a cake out of," Oklahoma State Sugar Act Show Director Kerry Vincent said. "I'm on neither side, because I have no kitchen and I have no commercial business, so I'm just looking at it as the devil's advocate."

Vincent, a Tulsa-based sugar artist who has starred on the Food Network, points out the bill has no sanitation guidelines, and until someone monitors the cleanliness of home bakeries, she will not support the bill.

"If you are ordering a cake from a home baker and the children are in the kitchen and the kitty cat is walking across the counter tops, that is an issue for me," Vincent said.