Everything you need to know about ordering homemade food from Home Chefs with CFO and state permits for hot meals, OR joining as a Home Chef on our platform.
All chefs hold valid CFO or state permit for hot meals with health inspections
Small-batch, home-cooked meals with quality ingredients
Authentic family recipes from cuisines around the world
Lower carbon footprint with local sourcing and less waste
Learn the basics about our platform and how it works.
Home Food Central is where passionate Home Chefs meet hungry local foodies for unforgettable, homemade food you can’t get anywhere else. Browse a rotating lineup of small-batch, artisanal dishes, shelf-stable creations and hot, made-to-order favorites – all prepared by certified CFOs or locally approved Home Chefs for that rare mix of comfort, quality, and peace of mind in every bite.
A Cottage Food Operation (CFO) is a home-based food business permitted by state law to sell low risk and shelf-stable foods made in a home kitchen. CFO chefs can make and sell items like baked goods, jams, dried herbs, candies, etc directly to consumers without the need for a commercial kitchen.
All US states recognize CFO permits with nuances in restriction of their operations.
Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKOs) are legally permitted, small-scale food businesses run by home-based entrepreneurs in inspected and approved residential kitchens.The certified home cooks prepare and sell a wide variety of foods including fresh hot meals, perishable items, and traditional dishes directly to consumers for same day or Pre-order . Home Kitchen business allow chefs to earn income by doing what they love and bring communities together.
Hot meal permits for home kitchens are available in select US states at this time, but there are proposed bills for its adoption in other states. HFC believes the change is happening slowly and steadily, and we look forward to advocate wherever we get an opportunity and our support can benefit communities. Some of the states that we are building our presence are California & Utah (recognize MEHKO permits), Iowa (Home Food Processing Establishment – HFPE) and Wyoming (Wyoming Food Freedom Act – WFFA) amongst others.
HFC spotlights certified home kitchens where authentic food is created. We’re mission-driven exclusively for Home Chefs with state and local permits (CFOs and Hot Meal permits both), handling their business infrastructure like payments, discovery, marketing and operations, so the Chefs can focus primarily on cooking. Instead of endless scrolling, Diners discover neighborhood Chefs with real stories, unique recipes, and meaningful cultural experiences.
Discover the unique advantages of ordering from permitted home kitchen chefs over traditional restaurants.
Lower overhead means better prices for you
Traditional recipes made with genuine care
Directly support home entrepreneurs near you
When you order from a Home Chef on HFC, you are directly supporting local entrepreneurs and your community’s economy. To reward your support for local Chefs, we have designed a Cashback program where you will recieve 2% HFC Cashback on every transcation that you can use towards your future orders on HFC!
HFC will list all food items eligible for Same Day ordering. Each item in this list will be based on Chef’s discretion, if they can accept Same Day orders on their food items or not.
Think Mom.. or Dad or your food hero at home! Home Chefs have the freedom to source local, use fresh ingredients, prepare in limited quantity, pay attention to details, and add more flavor, in every bite!
Also, our Chefs have the state and local permits. Prior to obtaining the permits they have to pass state mandated Food Handler training. Kitchens used in preparing your hot meals are inspected regularly by their local counties. A combination of all factors ensure great quality of food for you!.
Because Home Chefs have significantly lower overhead costs, they do not have commercial rent, large staff, or expensive equipment to acquire and maintain. They can offer delicious, high-quality meals at very competitive prices. You get gourmet-level food at home-cooked prices.
As long as you are physically present in the same state as the Chef at the time of pickup or delivery, you can enjoy the local flavors of your destination. It’s a great way to taste the “real” food of a city you are visiting.
This depends on the individual Chef and their local county regulations! Some of our Chefs offer delivery within a 10–20 mile radius, while others prefer local pickup only. You can see the delivery options available to you by entering your zip code on the home page.
Note: Most of our Home Chefs are restricted to local pickup or direct delivery at this time. This ensures that the person who cooked your meal is the same person who ensures it stays at the proper temperature until it reaches your hands. This “chain of custody” is vital for food safety.
Contact HFC at contact@homefoodcentral.com with any questions or specific concerns. HFC will strive to respond back within 24 hours. There may be situations where HFC would need to contact state or local officials in order to analyze serious concerns, which would take more than 24 hours.
See why Home Chefs trust our platform to grow their food business.
No upfront fees or monthly subscriptions
We bring customers to you with marketing
Full control over menu, pricing, and availability
Our platform gives you access to a community of food lovers actively looking for authentic, homemade meals. Instead of spending time and money on marketing, website building, and payment processing, you can focus on what you do best: cooking. We handle the technology, payments, and customer discovery so you can grow your home food business effortlessly.
To start, sign up on homefoodcentral.com and provide your permit details. HFC will activate your profile after verifying your permit, and you will receive an email and/or phone notifications. We also provide personal onboarding support; our team can schedule a short call to learn about your offerings and help you set up your profile. Please email us at contact@homefoodcentral.com to learn more about this personalized service.
Joining our platform and listing your food items are completely free. We operate on a small commission model, meaning you only pay a small percentage 10% when you make a sale. Our payment processor Stripe will charge 2.9%+$0.30 processing fee per transaction. There are no other upfront fees, monthly subscriptions, or hidden charges. You keep the majority of your earnings.
You could. You are not restricted to continue your business through other avenues, but we strongly recommened that you stay within the legal limits of revenue you can earn through your state/local permits. With that said, HFC wants to be your one and only partner to scale your business!
You have complete control over your menu, pricing, portion sizes, and availability. You publish your permitted food items on HFC, decide when to prepare or cook, and how much to charge. We recommend competitive pricing to attract more consumers. You can update your menu as often as you like — to indicate Same Day availability or a weekly plan for Pre-order.
Our Chef portal lets you manage your food items, set your availability, pause orders when you need a break, and communicate with customers — all through the app either from your phone or computer. You cook on your own schedule, with 100% flexibility!
There are no retrictions imposed by HFC. However, you will have to be mindful of the state imposed restrictions on your annual sales cap and number of orders. In addition you will need to sell onlly “allowed foods” as per your state/local permit.
As an independent seller, you do not have to sign any binding contracts. HFC does ask for signing a good faith agreement.
We invest in marketing, SEO, and community outreach to bring loyal consumers to the platform. Your chef profile and menu will have a chance to be showcased to consumers in your area during our weekly marketing campaigns.
As a Marketing platform build with your growth mission in mind, there will be options to send promotional emails, and run social media campaigns on your behalf. In near future, there will be multiple levels of Marketing packages available, which you can opt-in or out at any given time.
As soon as the order is fulfilled, you will recieve your payment.
Yes, we provide necessary guidance and resources to help you get the permit. Please contact us at contact@homefoodcentral.com to get started.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our support team is happy to help you with any questions about ordering, selling, or getting permitted.
