Frequently asked questions
The short version: ForkFork is the best home kitchens near you, verified against Santa Clara County’s approved-operator list.
For buyers
What is ForkFork?
ForkFork is an online marketplace for county-verified home chefs in Santa Clara County, California. You order hot, home-cooked meals and fresh-baked goods from local home kitchens that hold a current county permit, for pickup or delivery.
Is it safe to buy food from a home kitchen?
Yes. Every ForkFork kitchen holds a current Santa Clara County permit. Hot-meal (MEHKO) kitchens are inspected by the county health department — the same office that inspects restaurants — and the chef holds a food-safety certification. Cottage-food bakers are registered under California law and may only sell shelf-stable foods like breads, pastries, and jams.
What is a MEHKO kitchen?
A MEHKO (Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation) is a home kitchen permitted under California law to cook and sell hot meals directly to the public. In Santa Clara County, a MEHKO permit requires a health inspection of the actual home kitchen and food-safety certification for the operator.
What is the difference between MEHKO and cottage food?
MEHKO permits cover hot, prepared meals made and sold from a home kitchen that the county inspects. Cottage food registration covers shelf-stable, non-refrigerated goods — baked items, jams, and similar — made under California's cottage food law. ForkFork verifies both.
How does ForkFork verify its chefs?
We match every chef's permit against Santa Clara County's published list of approved operators, and a person on our team reviews each kitchen before it can take a single order. No valid county permit means no selling on ForkFork.
What fees does ForkFork charge?
Chefs keep 100% of the price they set. Buyers pay a service fee of 8% plus $0.30 at checkout. Listed prices already include any California sales tax, so there is no separate tax line.
Does ForkFork offer pickup and delivery?
Both, depending on the chef. Each kitchen sets whether it offers pickup, delivery, or both, and you choose at checkout.
Where is ForkFork available?
ForkFork is launching in Santa Clara County, California — including San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, and the surrounding cities.
How is ForkFork different from buying food in a Facebook group?
Every ForkFork kitchen is a real, county-permitted food business verified against the county's approved-operator list, with a real name and address on file and reviews from actual orders. You are not ordering from an anonymous stranger.
For chefs
Who can sell on ForkFork?
Permitted home food businesses in Santa Clara County: MEHKO operators selling hot, home-cooked meals, and cottage food operators selling baked goods, jams, and other shelf-stable foods.
How much does it cost to sell on ForkFork?
Nothing to list. There is no commission, no listing fee, and no monthly charge — chefs keep 100% of every price they set. ForkFork's revenue is the service fee buyers pay at checkout.
Do I need a permit to sell?
Yes. You must hold a current Santa Clara County MEHKO permit or cottage food registration appropriate to what you sell. You can start your application before your permit number is in hand, but a kitchen cannot go live without a valid permit.
Still curious how verification works? See what county-verified means, or browse kitchens near you.