HomeBites AI — Chef Requirements & Certification Guide

For: Prospective home chefs and HomeBites AI recruitment team Last updated: [DATE]

This is the public-facing guide explaining what someone needs to start selling on HomeBites AI. Use this for chef recruitment, the website's "Become a Chef" page, and onboarding emails.

The Short Version

To sell on HomeBites AI in Texas, you need to:

1. ✅ Be an individual Texas resident (not an LLC or company)
2. ✅ Cook from your own home kitchen
3. ✅ Complete a Texas DSHS-accredited food handler course (~2 hours, $7–$15 online)
4. ✅ Stay under $150,000/year in cottage food sales
5. ✅ Only sell allowed items (no meat, poultry, seafood, ice cream, raw milk, or CBD/THC)
6. ✅ Label every item correctly
7. ✅ Set up a Stripe account to receive payments

That's it. No business license, no health inspection, no kitchen permit, no fees. Texas Cottage Food Law (SB 541) explicitly waives all of those for home kitchens.

1. Food Handler Certification (REQUIRED)

This is the only certification you legally need to sell food from your home in Texas.

What it is

A short online course covering safe food handling — temperature control, cross-contamination, allergens, hygiene, and cleaning. Required by Texas Health & Safety Code § 437.0195.

Where to take it

Any course accredited by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) counts. Popular options:

By Texas law, the test cannot cost more than $15 and is good for 2 years.

How to do it

1. Pick a provider above
2. Pay (debit/credit card, ~$10)
3. Take the online course (you can pause and resume — most people finish in one sitting)
4. Pass the test (most providers allow retakes)
5. Download your certificate as a PDF
6. Upload it during HomeBites AI onboarding

What we do with it

Upload it during your onboarding wizard (Step 3). We store it privately. Your account activates only after we have a valid, unexpired cert on file.

When it expires

2 years after the issue date. We'll email you 30 days before expiration. If it expires without renewal, your listings go offline until you upload a renewed cert.

2. DSHS Registration (Only If You Sell TCS Foods)

What's a TCS food?

"Time/Temperature Control for Safety" — anything that needs to be kept hot or cold to stay safe. Examples:

• Cooked curries, biryani-style rice, dal that's served warm
• Cheesecake, tres leches, any cream-based dessert
• Cooked vegetable dishes meant to be reheated
• Custards, flan, mousse
• Refrigerated salads, dips with dairy

Non-TCS foods (no registration needed)

• Baked goods (breads, cookies, cakes, muffins)
• Jams, jellies, pickles, chutneys (high-acid)
• Dried foods (energy bars, granola, dried fruit)
• Candy, chocolate
• Roasted nuts, popcorn
• Dry mixes, spice blends

How to register

1. Go to Texas DSHS Cottage Food Production Operations page: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/retail-food-establishments/texas-cottage-food-production
2. Free registration — no fee, no inspection
3. Get your CFPO registration number
4. Add it to your HomeBites AI profile

You can use the registration number on your labels instead of your home address if you want privacy. Most chefs prefer this.

3. What You Can Sell

Texas SB 541 (effective Sept 1, 2025) flipped the law: almost any food is allowed unless it's specifically banned.

✅ Allowed (most things)

• All vegetarian and vegan dishes
• Egg dishes (anda curry, deviled eggs, frittatas, etc.)
• Cheese, yogurt, butter (must be made from pasteurized milk)
• All baked goods
• Pickles, jams, preserves, chutneys
• Dried foods, spice mixes
• Honey, syrups
• Cooked rice and grain dishes (vegetable biryani, dal, pulao, etc.)
• Plant-based "meat" alternatives (jackfruit, soy chunks, mock meat)
• Paneer dishes
• Pasta, dumplings, momos (vegetarian)

❌ Not allowed (cottage food law)

• Meat — beef, pork, lamb, goat, mutton, venison
• Poultry — chicken, turkey, duck
• Seafood — fish, shrimp, crab, all shellfish
• Frozen ice products — ice cream, gelato, sorbet, popsicles, frozen yogurt
• Low-acid canned goods — home-canned vegetables, soups, broths in jars
• Raw or unpasteurized milk products
• CBD, THC, or cannabis ingredients

What if I want to sell meat dishes?

You can't under cottage food law. You'd need a commercial kitchen and a food manufacturer's license — a very different setup costing $50,000+ to start. We're working on a separate "Commercial Chef" tier for the future, but it's not available at launch.

4. Sales Limits

You can sell up to $150,000/year under cottage food law. This counts:

• HomeBites AI sales
• WhatsApp / Instagram / Facebook sales
• Farmers market sales
• Direct cash sales to neighbors
• Any other channel

If you exceed $150K, you must move to a commercial kitchen. We track your HomeBites AI revenue automatically and warn you at $120K.

5. Labeling Every Order

Every food item you sell must have a label with:

1. Your name and address — OR your DSHS registration number (for privacy)
2. Product name — e.g., "Vegetable Biryani"
3. All allergens present — milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish
4. Mandatory disclaimer (required by Texas law):

   "THIS PRODUCT WAS PRODUCED IN A PRIVATE RESIDENCE THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENTAL LICENSING OR INSPECTION."

5. Production date
6. For TCS foods only: "SAFE HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS: To prevent illness from bacteria, keep this food refrigerated or frozen until the food is prepared for consumption."

How HomeBites AI helps

We auto-generate a printable label PDF for every order. You print it, attach to the package, done. No design needed, no figuring out the legal language.

6. Payment Setup (Stripe)

You receive payments directly through Stripe Connect:

• Customer pays via card on HomeBites AI
• Stripe takes payment processing fee (~2.9% + 30¢)
• HomeBites AI takes 5% platform fee
• The rest goes directly to your linked bank account
• Payouts hit your bank typically within 2 business days

What you'll need

• Bank account (checking, in your name)
• Social Security Number (for IRS tax reporting via 1099-K)
• A phone number for verification
• An ID (driver's license or passport)

We never see or store your bank details. Stripe handles all of it.

Taxes

You're an independent contractor. Stripe will issue you a 1099-K at year-end if your sales cross the federal reporting threshold. You're responsible for reporting income to the IRS. Talk to a CPA if you cross $20K/year — it's worth the $200 consultation.

7. Things You Don't Need

The Texas Cottage Food Law specifically waives these requirements for home kitchens:

• ❌ No business license required from the state
• ❌ No health permit required from your city or county
• ❌ No kitchen inspection required
• ❌ No commercial-grade equipment required (your home stove and fridge are fine)
• ❌ No three-compartment sink required
• ❌ No fee to any local health department (they're explicitly forbidden from charging)
• ❌ No zoning permit — cities cannot ban home cottage food operations
• ❌ No HOA approval legally required (though check your HOA rules to avoid friction)

This is what makes cottage food the easiest legitimate path to sell food in Texas.

8. Insurance (Optional but Recommended)

You're not legally required to carry insurance, but you should consider it. If a customer claims they got sick from your food, your homeowner's insurance probably won't cover it (most policies exclude home business activities).

Affordable options for home food businesses

• Hiscox — small business liability, ~$250–500/year
• Next Insurance — food vendor coverage, ~$300–600/year
• Thimble — short-term coverage if you only sell occasionally
• FLIP (Food Liability Insurance Program) — built for cottage food businesses, ~$300/year

HomeBites AI carries platform insurance, but it does not cover your operations. Your insurance is your protection.

9. The HomeBites AI Onboarding Flow (Summary)

When you sign up to sell, you'll go through a 7-step wizard:

1. Eligibility check — confirm you meet Texas cottage food rules (~2 minutes)
2. Restaurant profile — name, cuisine, address, hours (~5 minutes)
3. Food handler cert upload — upload PDF of your certification (~1 minute)
4. Sign Chef Agreement — read and accept (~5 minutes)
5. Stripe Connect onboarding — link bank account (~10 minutes, on Stripe's site)
6. Labeling acknowledgment — review label format and confirm (~2 minutes)
7. Activation — your profile goes live, customers can find you

Total time: ~30 minutes (assuming you have your cert and bank info ready)

If you don't have a food handler cert yet, take the course before starting onboarding. You can't activate without it.

10. Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be a U.S. citizen?

No. You need to be a Texas resident with the legal right to work in the U.S. and a Social Security Number or ITIN for tax reporting via Stripe.

Can my whole family help in the kitchen?

Yes. Household members don't need their own food handler cert. Any non-household helpers (e.g., a friend you hire) need their own cert.

Do I need to register a business name?

Only if you want to sell under a name other than your own. If you do, file a DBA (Assumed Name Certificate) with your county clerk — usually $25–50, takes a day. Optional.

Can I sell at farmers' markets too?

Yes. Cottage food law lets you sell anywhere in Texas — farmers' markets, roadside stands, online platforms like HomeBites AI, pop-ups, etc. Your $150K cap covers all channels combined.

What if I get a complaint?

Texas DSHS keeps a complaint log on cottage food operators. Most complaints don't lead to anything unless they involve actual illness. If you get a serious complaint, HomeBites AI may pause your account while we investigate (per the Chef Agreement). Be transparent and cooperate — most issues resolve quickly.

Can my kitchen be inspected?

Routine inspections are not allowed under Texas law. An inspector can only enter your kitchen with a warrant from a judge — and only if there's a foodborne illness outbreak or immediate threat. You can refuse entry without a warrant.

What about pets in the home?

Pets are allowed in the home. Just keep them out of the kitchen while you cook.

Can I make and sell from someone else's kitchen?

No. Cottage food law specifically requires the kitchen to be in your own residence. Shared kitchens are a different (commercial) regulatory path.

11. Resources

Official sources

• Texas DSHS Cottage Food page — https://www.dshs.texas.gov/retail-food-establishments/texas-cottage-food-production
• Texas Cottage Food Law full text — https://texascottagefoodlaw.com
• Senate Bill 541 (the 2025 update) — https://capitol.texas.gov

Educational

• Homemade Texas — advocacy and trainings: https://homemadetexas.org
• Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance — cottage food expert orgs

Inside HomeBites AI

• Help center: homebitesai.com/help/cottage-food
• Chef onboarding guide (PDF): [link]
• Support: support@homebitesai.com

Summary Card (Print and Keep)

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  HomeBites AI — Chef Quick Reference          │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ✓ Food handler cert: $7–15, 2 hrs, every 2yr │
│  ✓ Sales cap: $150,000/year (all channels)    │
│  ✓ Texas residents only                       │
│  ✓ Pickup or personal delivery only           │
│                                                │
│  ✗ NO meat, poultry, or seafood               │
│  ✗ NO ice cream or frozen treats              │
│  ✗ NO raw milk or CBD/THC                     │
│  ✗ NO commercial kitchen needed               │
│  ✗ NO health inspection required              │
│  ✗ NO local permits or fees                   │
│                                                │
│  Help: support@homebitesai.com                │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

This guide is for general information only and is not legal or tax advice. For specific questions about your situation, consult a Texas-licensed attorney or CPA. HomeBites AI may update these requirements as Texas law changes.