How to Start a Home Bakery of Your Own

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"Maybe you should have taken that job with Singer's," Marie said sadly. "They'll just get someone else to run the computer if you don't."

"You're right," I agreed. "But, damn it, there has to be a way to make a living without introducing more misery into the world." Listlessly, I poked another chunk of pie into my mouth: "It's too bad we can't sell your pies, babe .

" I paused, the fork dangling in the air in front of my nose. "What's the matter?" Marie asked.

"That's it. Your pies!"

"I don't get it."

"Your pies, for Pete's sake.

We'll sell your pies!"

Marie was unimpressed. "You're out of your head," she finally decided and went back to a casual reading of the newspaper.

Within a few days, however, we found that my scheme was far from crazy.

The manager of the first restaurant we approached with the idea was delighted not only with our proposition, but with the samples we let him taste. He was so pleased, in fact, that-after agreeing to give our walnut pies a trial run-he asked us to bring in a proven favorite: banana nut bread. His previous supplier of that specialty, it seemed, was leaving the area.

Similar receptions awaited us at the next three restaurants we visited. All were eager for something a little bit different.

And then we hit a snag, when one coffee shop proprietor asked if we had a health permit and business license. "Gulp," we said. "No, we don't. But we'll look into it."

CATCH 22 ARID HOW WE BEAT IT

Our visit to city hall's licensing bureau was quite discouraging. For one thing, we were informed that we resided in an area which was zoned strictly non-commercial. For another, the cost of a health inspection and license would have run about $70.00 more than we could risk on a still-to-get-offthe-ground business.

Only slightly daunted, we dejectedly explained our plight to two lower echelon types at the bureau who-very cooly, we thoughtsuggested that our best course of action would be just to go ahead with our bakery plans without the inspection and license. "Give it a try under the table," they said, "and see what happens. If you're lucky enough to have a winner and if anyone then challenges you about it, plead ignorance:"

So we went back to the cautious restauranteur and leveled with him told him that we were going to do exactly as we had been unofficially advised down at city hall. And-surprise!-he not only said he'd go along with the idea but volunteered some help of his own: "If anyone asks, I'll tell them you do the baking here. You can even use my kitchen one day a week, if you'd like."

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