96.5 TIC and Maneeley’s are proud to announce an evening with Buddy Valestro from TLC’s Cake Boss and Next Great Baker! Find out how you can dine with Buddy live at Maneeley’s this November!
On November 3rd from 6 to 9pm, Buddy Valestro from TLC’s Cake Boss and Next Great Baker will make an exclusive dinner engagement at Maneeley’s in South Windsor. This is your opportunity to see Buddy live for a meet and greet photo opportunity, a special Q&A session, Carlo’s Bakery cake sampling, dinner, a cake frosting contest and much more!
Limited tickets to this amazing event go on sale today at 10am by calling Maneeley’s at 860-528-6622. Reserve your tickets before they’re all gone!
All proceeds from ticket sales support the 29th Annual We Are The Children Christmas Party on Christmas Day!
About Buddy:
For Buddy Valastro, 36, mixing eggs, sugar, butter and flour means a lot more than
“making a cake.” As a fourth generation baker, it’s a constant source of pleasure, pride
and creativity. Creating amazing cakes connects Buddy with the memory of his father
Buddy Sr. and his extended Italian family history. His talent and passion for the family
business, Carlo’s Bakery, has earned the straight-talking cake expert the moniker, and
TLC TV show, Cake Boss.
In December 2010, TLC premiered the spin-off series, Cake Boss: Next Great Baker,
where Buddy challenged bakers from around the country to compete for a chance to
work alongside the Valastro family at Carlo’s. Cake Boss: Next Great Baker crowned its
third season winner February 2013. Last December, TLC launched Bakery Boss, a
series following Buddy Valastro across the country helping other family-run bakeries
that are struggling to find their own sweet success with his famous blend of business
skills and baking expertise.
Following the launch of his best-selling first book, Cake Boss, Stories and Recipes from
Mia Famiglia (Free Press, Nov. 2010), Buddy brought the pages of stories and tips to
life on stage via his highly successful Bakin’ with The Boss Tour. Buddy went on to
release a how-to book, Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy’s Best Recipes and
Decorating Secrets (Free Press, Nov 1, 2011). A year later, Buddy shared his savory
skills and favorite Italian recipes in his how-to book, Cooking Italian with the Cake Boss:
Family Favorites as Only Buddy Can Serve Them Up (Free Press, Nov 6, 2012) and hit
the road for his much-anticipated Homemade for the Holidays Tour. Last November,
Buddy offered families festive tips and tricks to celebrate the holidays with his newest
how-to book, Family Celebrations with the Cake Boss (Atria Books, Nov 5, 2013).
To give Cake Boss fans a real taste for what Carlo’s can offer, Buddy has built a 50,000
sq ft baking facility in Jersey City that allows him to fulfill one of his (and his father’s) life
long dreams – to ship his product across the country.
Expanding outside of Hoboken for the first time, Buddy and the famiglia opened three
new bakeries in 2013, Carlo’s Bakery Ridgewood, Carlo’s Bakery Westfield and Carlo’s
Bakery Red Bank, all in New Jersey and two bakeries in 2014, Carlo’s Bakery
Morristown in New Jersey and Carlo’s Bakery Las Vegas, the company’s first West
Coast location. Always thinking bigger and better, Buddy has plans for further
expansion to new locations, including a future location announced in Greenwich, CT.
Last October, Buddy brought his family’s classic Italian recipes to the table, opening his
first restaurant, Buddy V’s, in the Venetian Las Vegas. Old favorites and new recipes
are on the menu as well as desserts you know and love from Carlo’s Bakery.
Icing Bonds this Family Together
Buddy Sr., the original Cake Boss, followed in the path of his father and grandfather,
both bakers in Sicily, and bought Carlo’s Bakery from Carlo Guastaffero in 1963. He
proudly ran the bakery for over twenty-five years before moving it from residential
Adams Street to its current and more central location on Washington Street in Hoboken.
The relocation allowed the bakery to grow its customer base and was part of Buddy
Sr.’s dream to make Carlo’s a household name.
Buddy and his four older sisters were raised in Little Ferry, NJ – their formative years
spent watching dough being rolled out, cakes being iced, crostata being baked and
cannolis being filled. When Buddy was 11, he began working at the family bakery
alongside his father. “My dad was my best friend and idol – anything to spend more time
with him was important.” In the precious years they worked at the bakery together as a
father and son team, his dad passed on his wealth of baking knowledge and instilled in
him a cast iron business sense and a drive for success.
The Start of a New Era
As a kid, it was hard for Buddy to envision a successful career as one of America’s best
bakers and cake decorators. He did not consider himself to be naturally artistic and he
often struggled in art class during his school years. However, after starting his career at
Carlo’s Bakery by washing pots and pans, Buddy soon realized he had inherited the
family gene for baking. It was at the bakery that Buddy found his calling and knew his
destiny was to help his father make the family business a household name. He didn’t
realize how soon he would be called to action. When he was 17, his father passed
away, forever changing Buddy’s life. Drawing on the strength of his memory and
bolstered by wearing his father’s St Anthony medallion (which he still wears everyday),
it was time for Buddy to step up to the role he had been primed for and become the new
Cake Boss.
Sweet Dreams
Not only did Buddy lose his best friend and greatest source of encouragement, some of
Carlo’s Bakery’s secret signature baking techniques were also gone – but not for long.
When Buddy’s father died, the bakery struggled to create the sfogliatelle dough used to
make one of their signature items, Lobster Tails. It was not until Buddy’s father came to
him in a dream and told him, ‘I am here for one reason, to show you how to make
Lobster Tails.’ Buddy went to work the next day, and for the first time was able to create
the nearly impossible sfogliatelle dough. From that point on, Buddy knew he could do
anything he put his mind to, and felt comfort in the fact that his father was looking down
on him.
Finding his Calling
If his father’s vision was to be realized, Buddy needed to exercise his business savvy
and create a point of difference to help Carlo’s Bakery stand out against the
competition. “I wanted to be creative, and thought if I can make cakes that don’t look
like normal cakes, but taste the way my dad’s cakes tasted… then I might be onto
something.” With that revelation, designer cakes became the next specialty for Carlo’s
Bakery. He experimented with his father’s recipes and introduced new items from Red
Velvet Cake to his signature flower cupcake. He also mastered fondant icing which
allowed Buddy to take cake decorating to new levels not yet seen in the industry.
Catering to celebrity palettes like Oprah, his works of cake-art have included a scale
model of the city of St Louis, a giant edible NASCAR racecar cake (it took 24,000 cakes
to make it and weighed over 10,000 pounds) and his magnum opus – a life-size tribute
to his wife and soul mate Lisa for her 30th birthday.
Being the Cake Boss
Carlo’s Bakery had always been well known for its incredible wedding cakes and over
the years, Buddy’s creations were frequently featured in bridal magazines. As a result of
this exposure, Buddy was invited to participate on Food Network Challenge in 2004.
Recognizing a growing interest in televised baking shows, Buddy saw an opportunity to
push the bakery into new territory and he jumped at the chance. A naturally outgoing
“people person,” Buddy felt comfortable on TV and was never nervous in front of the
camera. He also found that he had a gift for one-liners and clever sound bytes. Over the
next few years, he competed in four Food Network Challenge cake competitions. After
losing his first three battles, Buddy took top prize on “battle of the brides.” Along with a
cash prize, Buddy was also presented with an enormous $10,000 check, which proudly
hangs on the wall of his office.
Buddy’s appearances on Food Network Challenge were only the start of his foray into
television. Two of the show’s cameramen approached him after one of the tapings and
encouraged him to pursue his own show. They recognized his engaging on-camera
presence and knew a series revolving around Buddy would fascinate audiences. Buddy
knew this was his chance to make Carlo’s Bakery known worldwide. He used his
connections to pitch a show featuring himself, Lisa, his four sisters and his mom, aka
the “Boss Boss,” as they go about their daily frenetic routine running the shop.
Executives at TLC had seen Buddy on TV before and took notice. They agreed to shoot
a pilot at the bakery and filmed 120 hours of footage for the first half hour episode. TLC
loved the show and immediately ordered 12 more episodes. Cake Boss became an
instant hit with audiences, currently airing its sixth season.
Keeping it in the Family
Buddy has made it his mission to diversify the business’ success while staying true to
the heritage of Carlo’s Bakery, a move that would have made his father proud. “I am
hanging on to traditions because I want to, not because I have to. I can’t turn my back
on the way we did things.” The family and the community were important to Buddy Sr.
Every year he donated zeppoles to Saint Joseph’s Church in Jersey City and baked St.
Anthony’s loaves for the St. Francis Church in Hoboken. Like his father, Buddy is a
great believer in giving back, and maintains this practice today. He is also a proud
honorary board member of Make-a-Wish Foundation and was named as the
organization’s Celebrity of the Year in 2011. A father himself to his daughter and three
sons, Buddy continues to pass on Valastro family traditions.
No Limit on Success
While Cake Boss has helped make Carlo’s Bakery popular with tourists, it was well
known even before the show began airing. Locals often lined up out the door under the
simple “Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop” sign in Hoboken, eager for a piece of the pie. Each
week, the business averages around 60 wedding cakes, 500 birthday cakes, thousands
of cannolis and more. The noises from the crowd caught the attention of local mayor,
Dawn Zimmer, who said, “We feel very lucky to have Buddy and Carlo’s bakery.
Hoboken was known before, but now it’s even more known.” Ernst & Young has also
recognized Buddy for his extraordinary success and personal commitment to his
businesses and community by honoring Buddy as Humanitarian of the Year.
The true origin of the charming and humble baker’s unwavering dedication comes from
his father’s handed down teachings. “I found my dream job and passion when I was 11
– and I still have it. I love what I do and I am good at it, which makes me incredibly lucky
and blessed.” So, how does a man who’s already achieved so much continue to find
inspiration? Simple. “I can see cakes in anything. I just open my eyes.”