There I was: listless, with nothing but bland, mass produced glop to eat. The cookies? Unremarkable. The cupcakes? Jejune. The salsas? Whatevs. The breads? Apparently baked for the sole purpose of disappointing me.
I determined to savor something made with love – by a real person, in a real kitchen, instead of by people who hate working at a factory. Not ex machina, but from the heart, like all good food must be.
In other words, I determined to eat…
Cottage Foods (i.e. Non-potentially Hazardous Foods Which Are Prepared in a Residence and Not Subject to Licensing or Official Inspection)
This begged the question: Where do I turn to? I’m far too busy writing scintillating magazine articles to travel to different farmers’ markets each weekend. My neighbors no longer set pies down to cool on their window sills after all that stuff they accuse me of doing happened. I’m only marginally good at baking despite having graduated top of my class from Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland and previously working as head baker for multiple Michelin three-star restaurants.
I’d given up nearly all hope of tasting true joy until I spoke with a most remarkable man – one who just so happens to purchase advertising in this very magazine. He is Matt Rosen, the Army-veteran-turned-baker who founded Sergeant Shortbread in 2018 (going to SergeantShortbread.com and purchasing Matt’s indescribably good shortbreads for special occasions or to give away as gifts is always advisable), and as of last year the founder of The Cottage Foodie as well.
“I spent the past seven years as a cottage food producer – at first working out of my home, and then in a small commercial kitchen,” recounted Matt. “I also became an active member of the Minnesota Cottage Food Producers Association during that time, and even advocated for my fellow cottage food producers before the Minnesota Legislature.
“Over the course of all that involvement, I noticed something was severely lacking: a directory containing information for every cottage food producer in the country. I believe nothing could promote small business and connect people to their local culinary landscapes more effectively than such a tool!”
Matt’s a doer. Instead of supposing that a “Yellow Pages for cottage food producers” would be a good idea and leaving it there, he made it a reality with the help of LTR Digital Group (a fellow member of the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce, like all good businesses are). Now any cottage food producer can sign up, advertise whatever they like on their profile, and greatly extend the reach of their social media while they’re at it.
“TheCottageFoodie.com is still in its infancy, but it already has 140 members across 24 states,” said Matt. “While most of those are in Minnesota, every day takes us closer to becoming a nationally recognized online directory.
“The Cottage Foodie is not about profiting off of other cottage food producers’ hard work. It’s about promoting it, and celebrating it, and creating a larger market for it, and turning more good, creative, down-to-earth people into successful entrepreneurs.”
CottageFoodieCon
“But that’s not enough,” Matt continued. “I also want to help aspiring and recently established producers learn the business side of cottage food. That’s why I founded CottageFoodieCon: an annual convention dedicated to supporting and empowering small-scale food entrepreneurs operating under cottage food laws, which will be held for the first time this April 23rd through 25th at Hennepin Technical College’s Eden Prairie campus.
“Other cottage food conventions exist, but they’re all dedicated to one type of product – something I only realized while returning from a sugar cookie convention I attended in Reno last year. In addition to showcasing every type of product, CottageFoodieCon will offer attendees instruction on networking, pricing, search engine optimization, developing a brand on a tight budget, and every other trick of the trade a cottage food producer needs on their path toward success.”
Would you like to join the exciting world of cottage food production? Or have you already dipped your toe in those particular waters, and now want to present your product to other cottage food entrepreneurs, hobbyists, educators, and supporters at the CottageFoodieCon 2026 Vendor Marketplace (which will be open to the public)? Then good things will happen to you when you visit CottageFoodieCon.com.
And Don’t Forget the Shortbreads
Remember earlier when I advised visiting SergeantShortbread.com, where you can order crispity buttery cookie deliciousnesses that would cause you to curl your toes in delight if you ate them, and which just so happen to make especially nice client appreciation gifts? Well, what if I also told you that Sergeant Shortbread is already taking orders for the holiday season, which is an especially apt timespan to eat shortbreads within? Would you visit SergeantShortbread.com then? I sure hope so.