Brickbat: Something in the Oven

Four years ago, home bakers in Wisconsin won a court battle allowing them to sell bread, cookies and other baked items without a commercial license. But last year, after Ellie Boehm, 15, began selling macarons she baked, the Wisconsin Bakers Association sent her a letter warning that her business is in violation of the law. It turns out that the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which enforces commercial baking licenses, has interpreted the court ruling as applying only to goods baked with flour. Macarons use almond powder instead. Boehm, the Wisconsin Cottage Food Association, and other plaintiffs are now suing the state, saying its interpretation of the original court ruling is too narrow and unfair.