By Kris Goracke

news@pctribune.com

“As a little girl, I would watch my mother bake and spend hours staring at the pictures in a cake decorating book.”  And for Amy Camp, that is where it all began.    Camp, owner and baker of CampSite Treats is new to Starbuck, but not new to the business of baking.  

“Baking is my stress release, so you can imagine in 2020 how much I baked!” Camp said good-naturedly.  “With friends and family being the recipients of my baking for many years, I decided it was time to branch out and begin selling my baked goods.  And so, in the summer of 2020, the Camps attended the Farmer’s Market in St. Paul and began selling cookies and cupcakes. 

With the pandemic, Camp and her family realized they could live anywhere and still work.  This realization prompted the search for a new home.  It wasn’t so much as a town, as a house that could meet their needs.  Then one day while scrolling through houses for sale, a house popped up in Starbuck that looked like it could meet their family’s needs. The house, which they purchased, provides space for the bakery, as well as room for their family.

Camp’s baked goods are not only tasty, but incredibly creative.  For example, she offers cookies that look like French fries which are sold with a side of ketchup (red frosting). One of Camp’s specialties is a Kentucky butter cake which is similar to a vanilla pound cake.  Also, on her list of treats is edible cookie dough.  When asked what her favorite treat to make is, Camp stated without hesitation, “The giant cupcake.  The giant cupcake is fun because the reaction from the kids.  Another fun creation to make is a cake burger – it looks like a giant hamburger, but is all cake!”

Camp prides her business on offering a variety of keto and gluten-free products.  She makes cakes, cookies, and muffins.  “My husband and I went to a keto diet a few years ago and so I have been perfecting baked goods.  We want people to have treats that taste good but are still meeting their health requirements,” said Camp.

It isn’t just people who are enjoying CampSite Treats, but dogs as well.  “In addition to my baking for human consumption each week, I also make dog treats.”

CampSite Treats is regulated through a Cottage Food Producer’s registration which is overseen by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.  According to the Minnesota Cottage Food Laws and Regulations website, “The Cottage Food Law allows for individuals to make and sell certain foods and canned items (those considered by the state to be non-potentially hazardous) in Minnesota. There are requirements to be trained in advance of selling, to register with the state, certain types of food that are allowed, food labeling, types of sales locations, and amount of sales allowed by a cottage food producer. 

In addition, some of the guidelines for a cottage food producer are:

1. Register with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) before selling exempt food regardless of the amount of food sold.

2. Take an approved food safety course once every three years while actively selling cottage food.  You must take training that is specific to the Cottage Food Law. The required training covers specific considerations about preparing food safely in a home kitchen and covers the Cottage Food Law requirements. See the training section.

3. Register with the MDA each year food is sold under the Cottage Food Exemption.

4. Prepare and sell only NON-potentially hazardous food (such as baked goods, certain jams and jellies) and/or home canned pickles, vegetables, or fruits with a pH of 4.6 or lower.

5. Label food with your name and address, the date produced, and the ingredients, including potential allergens.

6. Sell from a private home, at farmer’s markets, community events, or on the Internet.

CampSite Treats can be found at the St. Paul Downtown Farmer’s Market Saturdays and Sundays, Glenwood on Tuesdays, and Starbuck on Thursdays.  She also accepts orders.  You can find CampSite Treat at CampSiteTreats@gmail.com