Cake Boss
A Visit To Count Basie in Red Bank
By Lori Draz
Could it be? New Jersey has two bosses? The new boss in town makes beautiful cakes instead of music. It’s Buddy Valastro, proprietor of Carlo’s Bakery and known to millions as “The Cake Boss”.
Buddy The Cake Boss
Every Monday night on TLC, viewers join Buddy and his “famiglia” as they battle through another crisis in cake design. Carlo’s Bakery, the landmark location in Hoboken is the scene of all the drama. There’s the fully functioning bakery, with trays of goodies, cannolis, lobster tails, 5 deep in customers calling out orders. Then, there’s the bakery where the cousins and brother-in-laws squeeze past each other in a weekly waltz of pardon me-excuse me’s, only maybe not so gently put . Add the narrow stairs and elevator each cake must navigate on its way out to a bumpy delivery ride, the customers who change their minds, the orders not correctly handled, and you know why this place needs a Boss.
We caught up with Buddy the Boss at his recent appearance at the Count Basie Theater. Despite the unexpected snow, the theater was packed, and almost a third of the audience were children…all to watch a guy decorate cakes! You gotta love NJ. And you know Buddy loves NJ. He beams when he talks about the streets of Hoboken and gets teary eyed when he remembers Long Branch fishing trips with his father. It was Buddy Sr. who bought the bakery in 1964, who trained little Buddy to make icing and cakes and sugar flowers and who gave Buddy the skills he to take over the business, after his passing. Buddy was just 17 when he lost his father, who he recalls as the “real” cake boss. And some say his feisty mother, who works at the shop with all his sisters, is the real boss lady. So do too many bosses spoil the cake? No way, they only make it sweeter!
On stage, he is every bit the Buddy you know from TV, only much nicer. He rocks and bounces as he decorates, just like he does on the show, only without so much yelling. “They take 90 hours a week and boil it down to 22 minutes, so something’s getting cut out.” He answers questions from the audience: He really hated the pink walls….he and the Bridezilla made up…his favorite cake was the aquarium cake. He makes easy jokes , but when he’s decorating, that’s different. His eyes narrow and his whole body seems to tighten into focus. “I believe, you gotta put yourself into everything. If you do the best job you can everyday, the sky’s the limit. I think I’m the luckiest guy, to do what I love, be surrounded by my family and to make people happy… that’s the best.”
Buddy demonstrated his skills, making chocolate roses at lightning speed, “Cake Boss makes it look easy, huh?” And ended the show by decorating impressive 5 tier ocean themed cake, and yes, he made it look easy. Buddy, who was joined on stage by his sisters, wife and 3 children, told fans to be on the lookout for a new TV show, where he will turn chef and make Grandma’s recipes. He also will be debuting a line of cake tools and supplies, including fondant, so we can all try to be bosses.
