Want to make cheesecake from home and sell it? You’re hardly alone, but that’s a tricky prospect.

“People love cheesecake. But it doesn’t meet Florida’s Cottage Food Law. You can’t make it from your home. If you have to refrigerate the product, you can’t make it there. So, I’ll say, ‘let me give you names of places where you can make cheesecake and still be compliant with state rules,’” said Stephanie Brown, the new UF/IFAS Extension statewide specialized agent in food science.

Cheesecake is one food. What about those who want to create other culinary delights from home and sell them elsewhere? Brown has you covered with her expertise.

“The Florida Cottage Food Law is tricky,” Brown said. “I imagine I’ll get questions along the lines of, ‘What does Florida define as a cottage food?’ ‘What can I sell?’ People want to cook food in their home like they did during the pandemic. They’ll ask: ‘Is that OK to do, and how can I make some extra money or a living cooking from home and selling my foods, sauces and more?’”

Brown is here to help with all your food safety questions. For example, she can walk you through the sometimes-complex federal and state regulations.

She hears all kinds of questions from food entrepreneurs. Among them are:

• I want to make this food. Can I do it in this space?
• Where can I make my food?
• How can I make my food safely?
• Can I change my product in the way that I hope to? I want it to appeal to people in a different way. How do I do that?

For those in Southwest Florida, Brown is available two days per month at the UF/IFAS Extension Collier County office, 14700 Immokalee Road, Naples.

You can find Brown’s office hours by reviewing the online calendar. For the rest of 2024, she will host open/walk-in office hours twice a month. Brown will post winter/spring 2025 dates on the Extension website in the coming weeks and months.

She’s also available, virtually, to any chef or food entrepreneur in Florida by appointment. That includes people looking to sell at a farmer’s market, those looking to start a food business from home and others, said Brown, who’s stationed at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. Contact her at stephaniebrown@ufl.edu to meet with her online.

“These office hours are a great way to meet food entrepreneurs of all types across the state and better understand the needs of this community while continuing to serve the regional community,” Brown said. “We’re trying to help people understand you can do certain things, but maybe not at home. But if you cannot do it at home, you can make that food item in a shared-kitchen or other space.”

“By meeting people where they are through in-person and remote office hours, my hope is more entrepreneurs will be set up for success,” she said. “I’m just helping to guide folks in the right directions.