In many ways, Colorado is a paradise of personal freedoms. Adults can ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Women can breastfeed in public. Medical marijuana’s allowed. But baking cupcakes at home and selling them for profit is against the law. Homemade muffins or pies are fine for a school bake sale, but don’t get caught selling them at a farmer’s market or a roadside stand. The law says if you want to earn money making food, you need to build a commercial kitchen or rent space in one. But there’s a push in the legislature to allow for so-called “cottage food” businesses. Ryan Warner speaks with Mande Gabelson, a baker in Grand Junction, and State Senator Gail Schwartz, a Democrat who is sponsoring one of two bills to allow the practice.
[Photo: Mande Gabelson]