$20 at the Gate, $150 at the Table: How to Host a Farm to Table Dinner (Permits, Menus and Real Ticket Prices)

4 days ago

19 min read

Farm to table dinner table set in a vegetable field at golden hour, with string lights, wildflowers, fresh bread and a red barn behind

Churchview Farm, within 20 minutes of downtown Pittsburgh, sold its first dinner seats at $85. By 2016 it was raising the price every year. In 2026, its 14th season, most seats cost $195, and all 15 dinners show sold out.

So how do you host a farm to table dinner that sells like that? You need a legal path for the food (usually a licensed chef or caterer), a clear answer on alcohol, insurance for the night, and a seat price that covers every cost before the table is full.

The farm that charged $85, then $195, and still sold out

Back in 2016, owner Tara Rockacy told the trade magazine Growing Produce that the dinners began as a marketing effort to bring more people to her farm. That year a seat cost $115. "I really want to put on a big show," she said.

Today the farm runs 15 dinners from July to October, each for up to 60 guests, most cooked by a guest chef from a Pittsburgh-area restaurant. Its 2026 page lists every date as sold out, at $165 to $215 a seat.

The short answer

Real seat prices: about $95 to $460 in the US, C$90 to C$275 in Canada and £36 to £70 in the UK (table below).
Who cooks: most farms partner with a licensed chef or caterer. Home kitchens rarely qualify for plated meals.
Price rule: set the price so you break even with about 70% of the seats sold. The rest of the seats are your profit.
Permits: ask your health department, zoning office, alcohol licensing office and insurer before you sell a single ticket.

Why a farm dinner earns more per guest than a day visit

Nelson Produce Farm in Valley, Nebraska sells a day pass. An Omaha guide updated in August 2026 lists its day passes at $15 from Tuesday to Thursday and $20 from Friday to Sunday.

The same farm sold farm-to-table dinner seats at $150 for its August 2025 dinners and $125 in December. Each seat included a four-course meal by local chefs, a special drink, live music and professional photos. Guests could bring their own drinks.

Bar chart comparing Nelson Produce Farm day pass prices of $15 Tuesday to Thursday and $20 Friday to Sunday with farm dinner prices of $125 and $150 per person — One farm, two prices: an August dinner seat costs seven and a half times a Friday-to-Sunday day pass. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

One $150 dinner guest pays as much as seven or eight day visitors, in one evening, on one patch of ground.

US agritourism is already worth real money. The 2022 Census of Agriculture counted about $1.26 billion in agritourism income, up 12.4% from 2017 after inflation, according to USDA's Economic Research Service.

Penn State's rural development center says the roughly 28,600 farms reporting agritourism income earned about $44,000 each in gross revenue, on average. More numbers are in our agritourism statistics roundup.

As Oregon farmer Don Kruger told the Associated Press in 2017, "just farming doesn't make it."

Reality Check: Higher revenue per guest is not higher profit per guest. A dinner has big fixed costs (chef, staff, toilets, permits) that you pay whether 20 or 60 people come. The pricing section shows how to make it work.

Real farm dinner ticket prices (US, Canada and UK)

I collected these prices on 1 November 2026 from each farm's own event or ticket page, or from ticket listings, local press and tourism listings. Prices are per person in local currency.

Farm and location	Price per seat	What the ticket includes	Season
Outstanding in the Field at Foster Farm, Sagaponack, New York	Listed at about $462	Vodka tasting reception, family-style long-table meal, paired wines	Sept 2026
Outstanding in the Field at D.A. Ranch Vineyard, Cornville, Arizona	About $390, as reported locally	Welcome reception and tour, multi-course meal by a guest chef	Oct 2026
Chatham Bars Inn Farm (greenhouse dinners), Cape Cod, Massachusetts	$225	Welcome reception, four courses served family style, tax and gratuity included	2025
Churchview Farm, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	$165 to $215 (most $195)	Time on the grounds; most dinners add a welcome drink, passed appetizers and five courses with pairings	2026
Nelson Produce Farm, Valley, Nebraska	$125 to $150	Four courses, a special drink, live music, photos; bring your own drinks	2025
Heritage Prairie Farm, Elburn, Illinois	$120 to $130	Seven courses family style, wine or beer, music, tax and gratuity; cash bar for cocktails	2026
Lundale Farm, Pottstown, Pennsylvania	$120	Cocktail hour, guided tour, family-style dinner by a restaurant team	2026
Auerfarm, Bloomfield, Connecticut	$95	Chef-designed three-course menu	2025
UBC Farm, Vancouver, British Columbia	C$275	Canapés, multi-course family-style dinner, one drink; other drinks from a cashless bar	2026
Creekside Cheese + Creamery, Agassiz, British Columbia	C$175	Welcome reception with drinks, three-course long-table dinner, taxes and gratuities included	2025
Prairie Gardens, Bon Accord, Alberta	C$130 + GST	Five courses, welcome mocktail, garden tour, live folk music; 50 seats	Current listing
Crieff Hills Retreat Centre, Ontario	C$90	Farm walk, four-course plated dinner, one glass of local wine or beer	2026
Adam Henson's Cotswold Farm Park, Gloucestershire	£70	Meet the farmer, welcome drink, three-course sharing feast; other drinks to buy	2025
Nancarrow Farm, near Truro, Cornwall	£48 (child £22.50)	Three-course set Farm Supper in the oak barn with home-reared meat	2026
Ranby Hill Farm, Lincolnshire	£40	Three-plus courses and a welcome drink; bring your own other drinks	2024
Errington's Barn, South Lanarkshire, Scotland	£36.75	Welcome cocktail and three courses	Current listing

Bar chart of real farm dinner ticket prices per seat in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, from about $462 down to £36.75 — Real farm dinner ticket prices from farm event pages, ticket listings and local press, checked 1 November 2026. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Three patterns stand out. Farm dinners are priced as an event, not as food. The top prices come with a story you cannot buy elsewhere: a famous farmer, a well-known chef or a touring dinner series. And check what is included before you compare. Heritage Prairie's $130 includes tax and gratuity. A $120 ticket elsewhere may not. I go deeper into this in the experience premium.

Bar chart showing Churchview Farm's dinner price rising from $85 for its first dinners to $115 in 2016 and $195 for most seats in 2026 — Churchview Farm's dinner price has more than doubled since launch, and its 2026 dinners show sold out. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Field-Tested Play: Pick three farm dinners near you. Note the price, courses, seats, and whether drinks, tax and tip are included. Price against those, not the café in town.

How to price your seat: the break-even method

Churchview's 2026 page explains its $10 price rise as "a compensation adjustment for our guest chefs." That is the right way to think: your price follows your costs. Here is my four-step method.

Step 1: List your fixed costs. Costs you pay however many seats sell: chef, service staff, toilets, permits, insurance, lights and marketing.

Step 2: List your cost per guest. Food you buy, food you grow (at market value), rentals per place setting, a welcome drink and ticket fees.

Step 3: Work out your break-even. Divide fixed costs by (ticket price minus cost per guest). That is how many paid seats you need just to cover the night.

Step 4: Test the price. My rule of thumb: if you can't break even with about 70% of your seats sold, raise the price or cut the fixed costs.

A worked example: 48 seats at $150

These numbers are assumptions I built to show the method, not quotes. Get real quotes from your own chef, rental company and insurer.

Cost line	Type	Example cost	Per guest (48 sold)
Chef and kitchen team	Fixed	$1,500	$31.25
Service staff (5 people, setup to clean-down)	Fixed	$600	$12.50
Permits and event insurance	Fixed	$400	$8.33
Lights, decor, printing and ads	Fixed	$350	$7.29
Portable toilets and handwashing stations	Fixed	$300	$6.25
Purchased food (meat, dairy, pantry)	Per guest	$18	$18.00
Farm produce at market value	Per guest	$7	$7.00
Rentals (chairs, tables, linens, plates, glasses)	Per guest	$14	$14.00
Welcome drink	Per guest	$6	$6.00
Ticket platform fees (absorbed by you)	Per guest	$11.69	$11.69
Total cost (example)			$122.31
Profit to the farm (example)			$27.69

The fee line uses Eventbrite's published US rate: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus 2.9% payment processing. The UK rate is 6.95% + £0.59; Canada's is 3.5% + C$1.29, plus 2.9% processing.

Bar chart showing where a $150 farm dinner ticket goes, from chef and kitchen team to profit, in a worked example — Worked example only. Your costs will differ. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Here, fixed costs are $3,150 and cost per guest is $56.69. At $150, each seat adds $93.31, so you break even at 34 guests, about 71% of 48 seats.

Sell all 48 and the farm keeps about $1,329, or $27.69 per guest, more than Nelson's weekend day pass. Your own time is not counted in this.

At $95 a seat, each seat adds only about $42, and you need 76 paid guests to break even: more seats than Churchview (60) or Prairie Gardens (50) offer.

Line chart of farm dinner profit by number of paid guests at $150 and $95 seat prices, with break-even at 34 and 76 guests — Worked example: the cheaper seat needs 76 guests just to break even. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Reality Check: The University of Vermont Extension's sample budget priced a 45-seat farm dinner at $65 a plate. Gross was $2,925, costs were $2,354.50, and net income was $570.50, after paying the organiser $600 for 20 hours. Underpricing is the quickest way to make a farm dinner not worth the effort.

What about the restaurant rule that food should be 28% to 35% of the price? Johnson & Wales University cites that range for profitable restaurants, and it is a good check. In my example, food and the welcome drink come to about 21% of the ticket.

Guests aren't only paying for the plate. They are paying for the field, the farm walk and the long table. For more, read how to price your agritourism activities and services.

Field-Tested Play: Want a ready-made pricing worksheet and break-even formula? They are inside my free ebook, 150 Ways to Unlock Hidden Wealth From Your Farm. Run your dinner through it before you announce a price.

Menus: build the dinner around what you grow

A farm dinner menu should make guests taste your farm. Nancarrow Farm in Cornwall serves meat from its own animals and vegetables from its kitchen garden.

Start with what is at its best on your date, then fill gaps from neighbours. In 2016, Churchview paid its guest chefs a stipend for their time and covered the proteins, alcohol and cheese the farm didn't grow.

A wooden harvest basket filled with tomatoes, okra, shallots and fresh herbs from a farm garden — Illustrative photo, not a farm named in this article. Photo: Zoe Richardson on Unsplash.

How many courses?

In the price table, three or four courses is common. Five to seven courses appear at Churchview, Harvestville and Heritage Prairie.

Family style (shared platters) is easier on a small kitchen. Plated service looks grander but needs more hands.

The chef partnership model

Most farms that do this well don't cook. They host, and a chef cooks. In 2016, Growing Produce reported that Churchview's chefs came from about 20 restaurants that buy the farm's produce. Those restaurants also brought their own kitchen staff and bartender.

The chef brings a licensed kitchen, a crew and a following. The restaurant gets a showcase. You get to work the room as the farmer.

Nancarrow's Steve Chamberlain told Farmers Weekly that more and more chefs are keen to work with farms. Ask the restaurants that already buy from you first. Our guide on partnering with local businesses shows how to make the first call.

A chef plating food into bowls in a professional kitchen — Illustrative photo, not a chef or kitchen named in this article. Photo: Ruben Mavarez on Unsplash.

Cooking yourself?

Only if your kitchen and food permit allow it. Most cottage food rules cover low-risk foods like bread and jam, not plated meals with meat and dairy. Georgia's guide, for example, says licensed cottage operators "can only make non-potentially hazardous foods."

If you want to teach rather than serve, hosting cooking classes with your own ingredients may fit your kitchen better.

Dietary needs and allergens

Collect dietary needs at booking, not at the table. Prairie Gardens asks at booking for gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan, halal or other needs.

The US recognises nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. In the UK, food businesses must be able to tell customers about 14 allergens in food that isn't prepacked. The Food Standards Agency's best practice is written information; if it is given verbally, a sign must tell guests to ask.

Field-Tested Play: Get the allergen list for every dish from the chef and put it on one sheet for your servers. Print the guest menus last. The University of Vermont guide says to print them at the last minute, because the menu can change during the day.

Questions to ask your local health department (and four other offices)

This section is not legal advice. Food rules differ by state, county, province and council, so ask the right people the right questions, in writing, before you sell a ticket.

For what can go wrong, including a Nevada farm dinner stopped by an inspector on the night, read selling food on your farm, from farm dinners to cafés.

Flowchart of questions to ask before hosting a farm dinner, branching by who cooks the food and how alcohol is handled — Use this to choose your path, then confirm every step with your local offices. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Your health department

Does a ticketed dinner on my farm count as a food establishment or temporary food event?
If a licensed caterer cooks on site, do I still need my own permit?
How many dinners a year can I host before I need a full license? (In Vermont, the health department treats "occasional" as less than once a month.)
Can any of the food be prepared in my home or farm kitchen?
What handwashing, water and dishwashing setup do you need to see?
Does someone on site need a food safety certificate?
Is there a farm-to-fork rule here? (Northern Nevada's health district lets registered farms host up to two farm-to-fork events a month, with a written notice to guests.)

Your zoning or planning office

Is a ticketed dinner allowed on my land as of right, or do I need a special event or temporary use permit?
Is there a limit on events per year or guests per event?
Do I need site plan review for parking, lighting or a tent?

See farm event zoning and whether your barn is legal for visitors.

Your fire marshal or building inspector

What is the maximum occupancy for my barn or tent?
Do I need a tent permit, fire extinguishers, exit signs or lighted exits?
Are open flames, candles or fire pits allowed?

Your alcohol licensing office

If wine is included in the ticket, is that a sale that needs a license?
Can a licensed caterer or bar service run the bar instead of me?
Is BYOB legal here, and do I need a permit for it?

Your insurer

Does my farm policy cover a paid public dinner, or do I need event cover or an endorsement?
Does it cover food-related illness claims?
Do I have host liquor liability, including for BYOB?
Will the caterer show proof of insurance and name my farm as additional insured?

The University of Minnesota Extension warns that the state's agritourism liability law offers "a defense in court, not full immunity." It also notes the law doesn't protect against alcohol-related claims. Read what agritourism insurance you need and whether liability waivers protect your farm before you call your agent.

Notes for the US, Canada and the UK

United States. Most states base their retail food rules on a version of the FDA Food Code, but the permit itself comes from your state or local health department. Some counties, such as Johnson County, Iowa, issue a temporary food license for one event lasting up to 14 consecutive days. Illinois requires a certified food protection manager in retail food establishments. Vermont's guide recommends food safety training such as ServSafe even where it isn't required. Alcohol rules vary a lot: Maine, for example, requires a BYOB permit at $10 a day. Start with our agritourism laws by state guide.

Canada. Food safety is run by provinces and local public health units. Toronto Public Health says food handler training is mandatory in Ontario for food vendors, and a certified food handler must be on staff whenever a special event food booth operates. In British Columbia, the operator of a food service establishment, or one employee on site when the operator is away, must hold FOODSAFE or an equivalent. For alcohol in Ontario, the AGCO says a private event permit can't be used for an event you advertise or make money from. In Nova Scotia, all alcohol at a licensed event must be bought from the NSLC, an agency store or a permitted manufacturer, so guests can't simply bring their own.

United Kingdom. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a new food business must register with its local council at least 28 days before trading, and many councils say registration is free (Scotland has its own guidance). Ask your council whether your dinners count. A food hygiene certificate isn't a legal requirement, but food handlers must be supervised and trained, and many councils suggest Level 2. In England and Wales, to sell alcohol without a premises licence you can give a Temporary Event Notice: fewer than 500 people including staff, a £21 fee, and at least 10 clear working days' notice. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems.

Reality Check: Calling a ticketed dinner a "private party" rarely gets around the rules. If you advertise it and people pay, expect it to be treated as public.

Weather, toilets, parking and lighting

Guests forgive a simple menu. They don't forgive a muddy car park, a long toilet queue or a dark table.

Weather. Decide now: rain or shine, or a rain date. Churchview's page says all events are rain or shine and all sales are final. Mississippi State University's checklist says to consider reserving a backup indoor space and to build its cost into the budget. Our bad weather policy lessons will help you write yours.

Heat. Harvestville Farm in Iowa tells guests its dinner barn is not air-conditioned. One farm in a Greenhouse Grower write-up recommends having fans for outdoor events.

Toilets and handwashing. Rent proper units. Toronto Public Health is clear that hand sanitiser does not replace a handwashing station in a food booth.

Parking and access. Plan parking, traffic flow and accessible routes. If parking is far away, run golf carts or a shuttle.

Lighting. Light the paths, the toilets and the car park, not just the table. See the visitor amenities that matter for the full checklist.

Running the night: a sample run sheet

Heritage Prairie Farm's pattern is easy to copy. Guests arrive at 6 pm for appetizers, cocktails and a farm tour. Dinner starts at 7 pm, served family style.

Tangletown Garden, featured by Greenhouse Grower, always starts with a farm tour, and its dinners begin while it is still light. Here is a sample run sheet built on that rhythm.

Time	What happens
2:00 pm	Chef and kitchen arrive; rentals and tables set; final harvest
4:30 pm	Staff briefing: roles, allergy list, toilets, first aid, rain plan
5:30 pm	Parking crew in place; check-in table open
6:00 pm	Guests arrive; welcome drink and appetizers
6:20 pm	Farm walk with you, the farmer (about 40 minutes)
7:00 pm	Guests seated; you welcome them and introduce the chef
7:10 to 9:00 pm	Courses served; chef talks briefly before the main course
9:15 pm	Dessert, thank-you, pre-sale link for the next dinner
9:45 pm	Guests leave with lit paths and a staffed car park

A group of guests sharing food and wine around an outdoor dinner table in summer — Illustrative photo, not a farm or event named in this article. Photo: Bohdan on Unsplash.

Field-Tested Play: The University of Vermont guide says not to give yourself any job other than host. Hand off check-in, the bar and the dishes, and spend the night with guests.

You'll need servers, bussers, a dishwasher, greeters and someone for parking. Read our legal tips for hiring seasonal staff before you pay helpers, even for one night.

Selling tickets and filling every seat

Pre-sell to your email list. Give it a 48-hour head start. Back in 2016, Churchview released tickets in batches in December, February and April. Our guide to email marketing for agritourism shows how to build that list.

Then go public. Create a Facebook event for each date and share it locally. Here is how to use Facebook events to promote farm activities.

Set clear ticket rules. Harvestville limits dinners to 60 guests at tables of six. Heritage Prairie asks groups to name their party at checkout so it can seat them together. Churchview caps orders at eight tickets and bans online resale. Nelson Produce sells a minimum of two tickets.

Keep a waitlist. When you sell out, collect names for next year's dates.

Watch the fees. On a $150 seat, platform fees can top $11 if you absorb them. See how to sell event tickets without losing money on fees.

Field-Tested Play: Hold back a few seats per dinner for partners and prizes. In 2016, Churchview held back about 16 tickets per dinner for giveaways, charity prizes and other uses. A donated seat puts your dinner in front of new people.

Add easy extras like your honey, a jar of the evening's chutney or a voucher for the next date. Our post on upsells that raise your revenue without more visitors has more ideas.

Mistakes that lose money on farm dinners

Pricing like a restaurant meal. The UVM sample at $65 a plate left about $570 in profit.
Forgetting the fixed costs. Toilets, staff, insurance and the chef's fee hurt most when only 25 people come.
Overselling the space. Dean Englemann of Tangletown Garden warned, "Don't over sell what you don't have the capacity to manage."
Serving the wrong meat. In the US, meat served at a ticketed dinner generally needs USDA or state inspection. Our permits guide explains why.
Including wine without asking. Wine bundled into a ticket can count as a sale. As the UVM guide puts it, "Remember, not all caterers have liquor licenses."
No rain plan. Have a tent, a barn or a firm rain-or-shine policy in place before the forecast turns.

Your 12-week farm dinner launch timeline

A 12-week timeline for launching a farm-to-table dinner, from asking permit questions to setting up on the day — Twelve weeks is a minimum. Start earlier if your permits take longer. Chart: AgritourismSuccess.com.

Weeks 12 to 9: Ask the five offices your questions. Choose format, guest count, date and rain plan. Book the chef and get copies of their license and insurance. Set your price.
Weeks 8 to 5: Apply for food, alcohol and event permits. Open the presale to your email list, then go public. Book rentals, toilets, lights and staff.
Weeks 4 to 1: Lock the menu and allergen sheet. Walk the site with your team. Confirm every permit is in hand. Email a reminder the day before.

In the UK, remember the 28-day food business registration and the 10-working-day notice for a Temporary Event Notice.

A lesson from my durian farm in Malaysia

I'm the founder of Bloopy Durians, a durian farm in Bentong, Malaysia. Three lessons carry straight over to farm dinners.

Short seasons create demand. Durian seasons are short, about December to February and June to August. A dinner with limited dates and seats creates the same kind of demand.

A loyal list fills the seats. We have a WhatsApp list of loyal customers who buy whenever durians are available. Your email list does the same job for dinner tickets.

The journey is part of the experience. Visitors reach our farm through a four-wheel-drive adventure, and they come from all over the world. Many companies send their staff and management to us. The farm walk before your dinner is your version of that journey.

We also supply durians for corporate events, including a Mayor of Kuala Lumpur tourism event, for which Kuala Lumpur City Hall gave our team a plaque of appreciation. Good food, served with care, opens doors.

In Cornwall, Nancarrow Farm proves the same point. The family began its feasts in 2014 in an 18th-century oak barn. In 2019, Farmers Weekly reported £40 tickets that sell out fast, with up to 114 guests per feast. Steve Chamberlain's verdict: "There's definitely a market for it."

Frequently asked questions

How much should I charge for a farm-to-table dinner?

The real farm dinners in my table charge about $95 to $460 in the US, C$90 to C$275 in Canada and £36 to £70 in the UK. Set your own price so you break even with about 70% of your seats sold. Then check it against three farm dinners near you.

Can I cook a farm dinner in my own kitchen?

Usually not for paying guests, because cottage food rules tend to cover only low-risk foods. Ask your health department, or use a licensed caterer or commercial kitchen.

Do I need a liquor license if guests bring their own wine?

It depends on where you are. Some places allow BYOB, some need a permit (Maine charges $10 a day), and in Nova Scotia all alcohol at a licensed event must be bought from approved sellers. Ask your alcohol licensing office and confirm host liquor liability with your insurer.

How many guests should a first farm dinner have?

Prairie Gardens sells 50 seats, Churchview and Harvestville seat up to 60, and the UVM sample budget uses 45. For a first dinner, choose a number your toilets, parking and kitchen can handle comfortably.

What if it rains?

Decide before you sell tickets: rain or shine with a tent or barn, or a rain date. Put the policy on the ticket page.

Do I need a food hygiene certificate in the UK to host a farm supper?

A certificate isn't a legal requirement, but food handlers must be supervised and trained in food hygiene. Many councils suggest Level 2 for people handling open, high-risk food. If your council says you need to register as a food business, do it at least 28 days before trading.

Should the ticket price include tax and tip?

Many farms do, so the guest pays one clear price. Heritage Prairie, Chatham Bars Inn Farm and Creekside Cheese + Creamery all say tax and gratuity are included. If you include them, build them into your break-even numbers, and check the details with your accountant.

How far ahead should I start planning?

Give yourself at least 12 weeks for permits, chef bookings and presales. In the UK, food business registration alone needs 28 days.

Get the pricing tools that make a farm dinner pay

A farm dinner is one income stream. The farmers who do well rarely stop at one. That's why I wrote 150 Ways to Unlock Hidden Wealth From Your Farm, a free 150-page guide. Inside you'll find:

150 income ideas across 10 categories, each with its difficulty, startup cost, pricing and earning potential
15 quick wins that cost $5,000 or less to start
A one-page Opportunity Matrix to see which ideas fit your farm
A 90-day launch roadmap, a pricing worksheet and a break-even formula (the same thinking you just used to price a dinner seat)

It's an instant download, and you'll also get my short emails about farm income ideas.

Send Me the Free 150 Ways Ebook

Not sure your farm is ready for paying guests? Take the free quiz.

Take the Free Farm Readiness Quiz

P.S. Churchview Farm's first dinner guests paid $85. In its 14th season, most seats sold out at $195. It took a good chef, a farm worth walking, and the nerve to keep raising the price. Your first dinner could be closer than you think.

Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun. This article is general information, not legal, tax or food-safety advice; check the rules with your local health department, licensing office and insurer.