Jessica's Kitchen
Terms & Conditions

Rev. June 2025

Jessica’s Kitchen is a licensed, certified, and insured Cottage Home Bakery located in Middletown, CT, providing celebration cakes and a variety of desserts. 

​

Hours of Operation: By appointment only.

Monday & Tuesday - CLOSED

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - Pickups & Deliveries available between 8:00AM and 6:00PM.

Sunday - Pickups & Deliveries available between 8:00AM and 10:00AM.

The Kitchen does not accept walk-ins.  

​

How to Order: Contact Jessica Hall via the Contact page on this website.

Inquiries and orders will NOT be accepted via phone call, text message, Facebook or Instagram direct message.

​

Advance Notice: ALL orders must be placed with size, flavors, design and pickup/delivery time confirmed and deposit received AT LEAST fourteen (14) days in advance, but 4-6 weeks' notice is preferred.  Large orders (75+ guests) are best placed at least 12-16 weeks in advance.  

​

No future date will be held without confirmation of order and deposit, which must be paid within 24 hours of receipt of invoice.

Late Orders: Orders with less than 14 days' notice may be taken if time allows and are subject to a rush fee (minimum $25.)  ​

​

Please be sure to fill out ALL the fields in the Contact form: 

• Your full name and contact information (email, best phone number)

• Date and Time of event

• Date and Time of pickup or delivery – if delivery is requested, please provide the location of delivery with address.

• For Custom Cakes and Cupcakes:

  • Number of guests

  • Preferred flavors of cake, filling, and frosting – menus are posted here.

  • Design and decoration ideas, theme, and/or colors.

  • Budget, if you have one, or price point where you are comfortable – base prices are listed on the Menu and on the Pricing Guidelines page; final cost is determined by number of servings, flavor(s), design, decorations, delivery, etc.  

• For Other Confections:

  • Preferred items with number of each – please see Order Minimums below.

Once received, Jessica will respond to your request within 48 hours unless otherwise noted.

​

Flavors & Menu Items:  Jessica's Kitchen offers an extensive menu of cake and cupcake flavors, fillings, and frostings, in addition to a number of cookies, brownies, bars, and more.  We are very proud of our long-tested, family- and client-approved recipes.  Our menus change with the seasons and availability of ingredients.  However, as a licensed Cottage Bakery, we must adhere to state regulations regarding recipes and ingredients; furthermore, our recipes have been tested multiple times.  Therefore, we cannot and will not entertain off-menu items, bake to recipes that are not our own, or accept ingredients from clients in order to complete an order.

​

Serving Sizes & Order Minimums: Cake serving sizes can be found on the Menus page.  Serving sizes are suggested based on slicing according to Jessica's Kitchen instructions, which are included with your cake and posted to social media and the website.  You are responsible for ordering the appropriate size cake for your guests and for slicing according to instructions.

• All cakes are composed of 3 cake layers and 2 filling layers, except the 6" and 8" heart cakes, which are 2 cake layers and 1 filling layer.  

• “Smash cakes” are available in vanilla or chocolate only with a minimum order of $100 in cake or cupcakes.

• Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies, and Bars require a 1 dozen minimum order per flavor.  We cannot mix and match flavors at this time.

• Order minimums may change during major holiday periods or flash sales.

​

Deposits & Payment: Once your order has been confirmed, you will receive an invoice via QuickBooks email reflecting all details and a breakdown of your total.  You may pay your deposit and balance by credit card or bank transfer by clicking the secure link in your invoice. All payments are non-refundable. 

Orders of $200 and under (and/or with less than 14 days' notice) require payment in full by debit/credit card or bank transfer within 24 hours of invoice issuance. 

For orders of over $200, a non-refundable deposit of 50% of your total is required to book your date, to be paid within 24 hours of invoice issuance.  We cannot hold dates without a deposit.  Final balance is due at least fourteen (14) days prior to collection.  Payment of total balance upon booking is welcome as well.

***IMPORTANT: Your date is NOT BOOKED until BOTH the deposit has been made and ALL flavors, size, design, and pickup/delivery information has been discussed and confirmed with Jessica.***

​

​We're sorry, but we no longer accept Venmo as a method of payment except during pop-up events.

​

Adjustments & Minimum Guarantee: Your order and deposit guarantees a minimum order which may be increased but not decreased before the event date.  Should you book your event and later experience a large difference in headcount (more than 10 guests) please contact Jessica to discuss your options.  Because quotes are built on the original information provided, and supplies and ingredients are purchased in advance, we cannot issue refunds or discounts, and we cannot guarantee adjustments or changes in sizing, flavors, or decorations.

​

Examples:

1. You initially estimate that 50 guests will attend your event, but once all RSVPs arrive, you realize that 70 will be coming.  You can add cupcakes, cookies, or another tier on your cake – Jessica can help you decide.  The earlier we know, the better!

2. You initially estimate that 50 guests will attend your event; you book a 10”/6” tiered cake to serve approximately 50 and place your deposit.  However, you only receive 30 responses.  Your balance cannot be discounted, but you may adjust the sizing of your cake and use the difference in cost on other items, such as cupcakes, cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels, etc, subject to availability.

Transportation, Pickup & Delivery: Pickup of orders is at Xavier High School in Middletown.  We are happy to offer delivery at no charge throughout Middletown, Durham, Middlefield, Portland, and Cromwell, and for a fee based on location to other areas of the state (minimum $25.)  You must arrange your pickup/delivery date and time at the time of booking with Jessica, including the name and contact information of the person responsible for pickup.

If you elect to pick up your cake, you are responsible for bringing an appropriate vehicle for transportation.  During transport, please remember that cakes are delicate and should NOT be placed on car seats or held on laps.  The best place is on the FLOOR of the passenger seat, with no one sitting in/nothing placed on the seat, or in the trunk of an SUV with a non-skid mat and plenty of air conditioning!  Jessica Hall and Jessica’s Kitchen assume NO responsibility or liability for the condition of any item(s) after they leave the possession of Jessica Hall.  

​​

During the warm weather months, deliveries beyond Middletown, Durham, Middlefield, Portland, and Cromwell may be suspended due to heat conditions.  

​

Cancellations: We do not offer refunds for cancelled orders.  Emergency cancellations will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

Non-Responsiveness ("Ghosting"): If you decide not to proceed with your order, please do us the courtesy of letting us know.  Clients who “ghost” us or are non-responsive to messages reaching out to them in advance of their event will forfeit their date and any deposit(s), and future orders will not be considered.  Once an invoice is issued, the client has 24 hours to provide payment; after that time, the invoice will be cancelled and the event date released.

​

Characters, Logos, and Symbols: Due to intellectual property, trademark, and copyright laws, Jessica’s Kitchen ABSOLUTELY CANNOT and WILL NOT reproduce any character, celebrity, logo, symbol, or other design, including but not limited to cartoons, comic book characters, characters in movies, TV shows, online or video games, school or organization seals, business logos, and/or professional or amateur sports team mascots or logos. Please see the FAQ for further information.

Creative Freedom and Reproductions:  Jessica’s Kitchen does not offer exact reproductions or replicas.  We will do our best to match requested colors, but we cannot guarantee an exact match due to natural screen and viewing differences (i.e. shades of colors can appear different on various devices and to each person looking at them.)  By placing your order, you agree to give full creative freedom over design and structure to Jessica.  

​

Right of Design Refusal: Jessica's Kitchen reserves the right to refuse any design at our discretion.  

​

Wedding and Large Event Cakes & Desserts: We will happily book your wedding or large event (75+ guests) cake and/or desserts up to four months in advance.  At least 12 weeks' notice is preferred, but 16 weeks is strongly recommended.  Please contact Jessica at your earliest convenience via the Contact page.  In-person wedding consultations are recommended for local couples, and we are happy to provide over the phone consultations for out-of-state couples.  If you are using a wedding planner or event coordinator, please provide their name and contact information during your consultation.  A Wedding Contract will be drafted and discussed during the consultation, and a fully signed copy will be provided to the couple.

​A non-refundable $100 deposit is due at the time of booking to secure your date; 50% of the remaining balance is due at least thirty (30) days prior to the event date; and the final 50% is due at least fourteen (14) days before the event date.  For weddings and large events booked with less than thirty (30) days' notice, the non-refundable deposit will be 50% with the balance due fourteen (14) days before the event.  

Wedding and large event orders that have not been paid in full at least fourteen (14) days prior to the event will not be made or delivered. 

​

Wedding Cake Tastings: Since the Kitchen is a licensed Cottage Bakery and we only bake to order, at this time, we cannot offer traditional cake tastings.  We highly recommend ordering cupcakes by the dozen in order to sample your desired flavors.

​

Wedding & Large Event Cancellations & Refunds: We do not offer refunds for cancelled weddings and/or large events.  With at least thirty (30) days' notice, subject to availability and evaluated on a case-by-case basis, weddings or large events may be rescheduled.

​

Refrigeration: Your cake and cupcakes MUST be refrigerated until serving, particularly in warm weather months.  This is to prevent melting, sinking, bulging, cracking, and collapse.  Be sure to have room to store your item(s) in the refrigerator at the appropriate temperature.  Please be aware that there are many factors that can affect the structure of your cake, especially the weather, heat, and humidity conditions.  DO NOT display cakes outside, inside in front of windows and/or in direct sunlight, or in any location warmer than 65 degrees F for any length of time.  You are responsible for the condition of your item(s) after they leave the possession of Jessica Hall.  

​

Cake Structure: Occasionally, and in all cases for tiered cakes, it will be necessary to include internal supports to keep your cake standing tall.  These items are typically made from food-grade cardboard, wood, or plastic, such as cake boards, dowels, and straws, and are not optional.  We highly recommend deconstructing the cake beginning with outer decorations, followed by the top tier, and then slicing in a crosshatch pattern.  Because your cake may contain these inner supports that are not obvious to the eye, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT push faces, hands or other body parts into the cake.  DO NOT use wine glasses or any non-traditional method to slice your cake.  This may result in serious injury, and Jessica's Kitchen is NOT RESPONSIBLE for any injury that results from improperly storing, cutting, using, or consuming your cake.

​

Allergies & Dietary Restrictions: While we provide an Ingredients Statement with every order which lists the items used to make your order as well as an allergen statement (e.g., “Contains: Wheat”), we make NO GUARANTEE that any items from Jessica’s Kitchen are 100% allergen-free, including but not limited to: wheat, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, sesame, fish, shellfish, and other common and uncommon allergens, as cross-contamination is always possible in a home kitchen.  By placing an order, you acknowledge that you take sole responsibility for any allergy or dietary restrictions or requirements you or your guests may have, and you release Jessica Hall and Jessica’s Kitchen from any responsibility or liability resulting from consumption of items received. 

​

Fresh Flowers: Not all flowers are suitable for cake decorating, and some flowers may not be available in all seasons and may be subject to additional costs based on availability.  Common fresh flowers that are NOT cake-safe are: hydrangea, calla lily, baby’s breath, daffodil, foxglove, iris, lily of the valley, marigold, morning glory, tulip, and most lily varieties, among others not listed here.  Silk alternatives are recommended for flowers that are not cake safe.

Additionally, fresh flowers on cakes are NOT meant to be eaten, and they should be discarded before cutting the cake.  All florals are made food-safe with floral tape, plastic straws, and extra buttercream. Cakes with fresh flowers must be refrigerated.  We HIGHLY recommend taking receipt of your floral cake within a few hours of your event so that the flowers stay as fresh and vibrant as possible. ​

​

If you are working with a florist for a special event, please provide their name and contact information to Jessica while placing your order so that appropriate measures may be taken to select the correct flowers for your cake.

​

Specialty Decorations: Any specialty items that must be created or ordered for your event are subject to an additional deposit at the time of booking.  If you prefer to provide a cake topper or other decoration, please consult with Jessica at the time of booking to ensure that your item(s) are cake-safe and of appropriate size.  Any toppers and/or other decoration(s) being added to the cake or cupcakes must be provided to Jessica at least seven (7) days in advance. 

​

​Weather Delays and Emergencies: In the event of inclement weather, including but not limited to: hurricanes, blizzards, excessive heat conditions, natural disasters, or “acts of God," Jessica’s Kitchen reserves the right to cancel orders within 48 hours of the event.  Your date may be rescheduled at the discretion of Jessica Hall, subject to availability.  Jessica’s Kitchen further reserves the right to refuse delivery to any location in the event of inclement weather or unsafe conditions.  Should the governor close the State, no deliveries will be made.

​

Kitchen Emergencies: In the unlikely event that Jessica is unable to complete your order due to extreme illness or other major emergency, you will be notified at the earliest opportunity, and you may choose whether to have your balance cancelled or to reschedule your order to another date.

​

Photos and Social Media:  No advance photos of the order will be provided before collection under any circumstances.  There are two official social media pages run by Jessica Hall (Facebook @JessicasKitchenCT and Instagram @jessicaskitchen) where photos and videos may be posted at Jessica's discretion.  Photos taken by anyone other than Jessica and posted to the Jessica's Kitchen accounts will be credited to the photographer, if known.  When photos are posted, be aware that names, locations, and social media handles, if known, may be tagged in the post.  If you prefer that any of this information NOT be used in the post, please let Jessica know in writing BEFORE PICKUP.  We reserve the right to use any photographs for display or promotion without notice or compensation to the client and/or photographer before or after the event.

​

This document may be changed or updated at any time by Jessica Hall, and all Terms and Conditions laid out therein will be applicable to all existing and future orders.