His real name is Buddy Valastro, but most people know him as the Cake Boss, the down-to-earth
baker who creates some of the wildest, most extravagant cakes in the country.
It's an odd niche, perhaps, but it's one that he's made work beyond most people's wildest
dreams.
Today, he sits at the top of an empire built on frosting, but the climb to the top wasn't
all been sweet.
Here's a look at the untold truth of the Cake Boss.
All in the family
The Cake Boss comes by his love of cake naturally.
His father, also named Buddy Valastro, emigrated to America from Sicily with nothing, not even
a pair of shoes.
He saved up enough to eventually buy his own bakery, and when he passed away on his son's
17th birthday, the boy who would become Cake Boss dropped out of school to take over the
family business.
Valastro also had close ties with his mother, baking his very first cake for her at the
age of 12.
Sadly, she passed away in 2017.
The Cake Boss told People that he hadn't yet been able to bring himself to visit their
old family bakery since her passing.
"I know that when I go there, I'll definitely break down.
That place has got so much history and that was my mom's spot, that was her store."
Trial and error
Valastro may be an expert baker now, but at first, he struggled to master his father's
famous lobster tail recipe.
He failed over and over and over, until, according to the Cake Boss himself, his father's spirit
eventually came to him in a dream and explained how to make it.
Divine inspiration aside, Valastro told the Houston Press that he feels the kind of experience
you get through trial and error is worth more than any formal education.
"There's a business method and education they don't teach in school, that you learn from
being on the job and dealing with things.
In school, you learn to make five cakes, so now you're a cake genius?
Come to the bakery and do 1,000 fondant layers in a week...
You learn, you know?"
Those cakes
The downside to trial and error is the error part, and Valastro told the blog for Michael's
that he's had his fair share of disasters, the biggest being the complete collapse of
a carousel cake he made for Atlantic City’s Steel Pier.
"It just felt horrible.
I let my customer down and that’s the worst thing you can do."
And sometimes, even when he gets the cake right, it turns out to be a mess.
That was the case with a 400 pound cake he made for Chicago's Field Museum, which was
unceremoniously dumped in the trash after the event because it had been sitting out
all day.
Still, most of the time the Cake Boss is able to make sure things go right, even if it costs
a pretty penny.
His most expensive cake?
That would be a cake studded with diamonds and sapphires that was worth an estimated
$30 million.
Let's hope they didn't throw that one in the dumpster too!
Sweet and savory
He may be known for his sweet concoctions, but Valastro also has a savory side, which
is on full display in his Italian restaurant, Buddy V's Ristorante.
He has locations at the Venetian in Las Vegas, and at the Sands Bethlehem Casino Resort in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He told Eater that the menu is inspired by his grandmother's cooking.
"When you come here, I want you to taste the food, and I want you to remember your grandmother."
Controversy
Valastro has had his fair share of controversy.
In 2012, for instance, Cake Boss guest Carmen Carrera was infuriated after the show turned
her appearance into a shockingly unfunny "joke" mocking the trans community.
"That's a man, baby!"
After a media firestorm, Valastro issued a public apology that read in part, "… I was
wrong to use the words I did.
I am a supporter of gay rights and equality, and while I regret this situation and my choice
of words, I am thankful to have received this feedback and the opportunity to learn from
this mistake."
It wasn't his only mistake, though.
Two years later, in 2014, Valastro again made headlines for the wrong reason when he was
arrested for driving while intoxicated.
He compounded his error by trying to use his celebrity to get out of the charges, telling
the cops, "You can't arrest me!
I'm the Cake Boss."
Needless to say, nobody was impressed, and he again had to issue a public apology for
his bad behavior.
Icing on the cake
It's not all bad with the Cake Boss, though.
Valastro also has his charitable side.
Besides donating zeppoles and bread to his local churches
each year, all of the cakes from The Next Great Baker are donated to homeless shelters
as well.
And he has also been active in raising money for disaster relief as well.
"I just wanna send my prayers and hopes for all the people down in Texas and the whole
Gulf area who are suffering from Hurricane Harvey."
Still in the family
For Valastro it all began with family, and it all ends with family, which is why so many
of his family members work with him.
His brother in law Joey Faugno told Business News Daily that it's a blessing.
"We spend eight to 10 hours every day at work and then hang out with each other at night.
I feel lucky."
Valastro told People that his favorite thing to do is stay home and spend time with his
wife and four children… cooking, of course.
Hey, he's not called the Cake Boss for nothing.
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