Resources for Cooks

Have questions about how to start your home food business? Here are some of the questions (& answers) we hear most often from home cooks & aspiring entrepreneurs

Preguntas Frecuentes por los Operaciónes Microempresa de la Cocina Casera (MEHKO)

Here’s a recording of our popular MEHKO 101 webinar, which covers the context, opportunity, and process of starting a home restaurant.

People often ask us about the differences between a MicroEnterprise Home Kitchen Operation and a Cottage Food Operation. Find a summary here.

Here’s a shareable, printable, easy to reference poster that details the general rules, requirements, and limitations applying to home restaurants as governed by the bill language of AB 626 the Homemade Food Operations Act. (Last updated July 2019)


Resources for California Counties

Wondering why your California county should opt into AB 626? Check out this packet to understand the problem, opportunity, & intended impact of this bill, as well as who the COOK Alliance is, and how we might be able to assist.

Interested in opting into AB 626 but curious about the nitty gritty details? Click the link to the left for technical information about adoption and implementation.

Here’s an accessible (non-legalese) overview of AB 626, also known as the California Homemade Food Operations Act. This includes the statutory framework, public health safeguards, cook labor protections, and cook/facility requirements.


Resources for California Organizers

This is a public resource detailing the status home restaurant permit implementation in each California county, including key dates, county leads, and relevant notes.

Here’s a slide deck you can use to present on or simply share the opportunity and potential impact of home restaurants (MEHKOs) to at your County Board of Supervisor meetings.

Trying to get in touch with your local county supervisors or representatives? We’ve compiled this spreadsheet with the phone numbers and email addresses for as many California county supervisors and Senators as we could find online.

Whether you’re making a phone call, writing an email, or presenting to your Board of Supervisors, here are some action templates & talking points to use as inspiration, or references for your outreach.


Resources from our Newsletters

Read our past newsletters to learn more about recent developments within the movement.


Resources for Partner Organizations

Several states have already started modeling bills on our California legislation & we expect nation-wide adoption within a decade. So far, we’ve developed model legislation, an equity framework, & a legislative toolkit as productized “bill in a box” solutions to promote just, equitable, and effective legislation in other states. We are offering these materials and technical assistance to values-aligned partner organizations nationwide to ensure that legalization benefits cooks & their communities. 

Please fill out the form below if you think you’d like to partner with us, or nominate a local organization who you think would make a good partner.