Buddy Valastro's got a heart of gold.
But it's more like a squishy cupcake when it comes to his family.
From crying at Sofia's birth to passing on the family name, this Cake Boss is ooey-gooey
and baked with love around his kids.
Buddy and his wife Lisa welcomed their oldest, Sofia, in 2003.
And as he explained to Life of Dad, he was instantly smitten with his little girl.
He said,
"I remember her being born and I just cried like a baby.
I thought of her whole life and what I wanted for her.
I wanted to just be there for her."
"We've been embarrassed by my father a lot, but for this, it was kind of funny."
Now that she's graduated high school, Sofia is looking to the future.
As Buddy posted to Instagram in June 2021:
"You have grown right before our eyes into [a] beautiful, confident, caring, loving,
smart and responsible young lady!"
Sofia is now focusing on her studies as a college co-ed.
And of course, her dad made her a killer cake to celebrate her next big chapter at the University
of Delaware.
Next came Bartolo Buddy Valastro III — best known as Buddy Jr. — in 2004.
He was gifted the same name as his dad…and also his dad's dad, Bartolo Valastro, Sr.
And just like his older sis, fans watched as the youngest Buddy grew up in front of
America, all for the "Cake Boss" cameras.
"Now that's some good footage."
These days, Buddy Jr. is living his teenage years to the fullest, eating home-cooked meals,
rubbing elbows with celebrities, chilling with friends, and of course, vacationing with
the fam.
He even helps out at the bakery on occasion — much to his dad's delight.
Well, mostly…
"At home, you got your mom to protect you and everything else.
Here, you're in my world."
Third in line to the triple chocolate-layered throne is Marco, who joined the Valastro fam
in 2007.
And he was basically born with a natural sweet tooth that fans watched develop on the show.
"She's gonna appreciate something you make with your own two hands."
"Yeah."
"The best way to a woman's heart, son, is to bake your way into it."
While he's still solidly in his teens as of 2022, he just might be the most likely to
take over the family biz someday.
Buddy even bragged about his son's filet mignon cooking skills, posting to Insta in 2020,
"I gotta tell you, this guy's pretty good."
"This is really good.
And I'm not just sayin' that cuz he's my son."
Finally, there's little Carlo who was welcomed into the family in 2011.
And by the looks of it, he's likely named after his dad's world-renowned sweet shop,
Carlo's Bakery.
"This is my bakery."
"Your bakery?
How is it your bakery?"
"It's named after me."
While you might assume that Carlo is a family name, as the story really goes, Carlo Guastaffero
originally launched the business in 1910.
The Valastro family then bought it in '64 and eventually turned it into a stone-cold
success.
And not yet even into his teens, li'l Carlo here is already low-key taking it over.
As fans well know, Buddy suffered a serious injury to his hand in 2020.
It all happened at his home bowling alley when he was attempting to fix the pin-setting
machine.
As he recalled to "Good Morning America,"
"It kind of crushed my thumb as it kind of — cause it was still moving back and forth."
Buddy Jr., Marco, and other family members helped free Buddy's hand before rushing him
to the hospital.
Admitting that he was beyond proud of how his sons responded to the terrifying incident,
the "Cake Boss" remembered,
"Within five minutes they had to undo a bolt, saws off one little piece of metal, and then
I was in my driveway."
Later, when he stopped by "Today," Buddy again expressed his gratitude towards his sons,
adding,
"I just can't imagine that they had to go through this and they did what they did."
"If it wasn't for my sons and my brother-in-laws, I don't know."
The injury required multiple surgeries, as well as a rather extensive physical therapy
journey.
But, as was no surprise to anyone, the entire Valastro family stepped up when Buddy needed
it.
He told Entertainment Tonight in 2021,
"My wife, with the recovery, was amazing, my kids, my sisters, my brother-in-laws."
While Buddy is clearly supportive of whatever his kids are into — even if it's not baking
— the whole gang has spent hours in the kitchen ever since they were little kids.
And it appears that was all by design, led by their devoted dad.
Buddy revealed that his kids first began learning the craft through decorating before dabbling
in baking and cooking.
But he also taught them that the real icing on the cake is always family.
And that's true no matter how many arguments there are over smashed orders on the floor.
As he told Life of Dad before his mother died,
"Thick or thin or indifferent this is how we do.
The fact that I am still close with my family, my four sisters, my mom, my in-laws; we are
always together.
That is what is being instilled."
"Go home and hug your kids a little tighter."
The Valastros certainly live a charmed life these days.
But with an estimated net worth of roughly $10 million, Buddy's not letting his kids
glide by on a life of leisure.
As he told Life of Dad,
"They have to know that you can have nice things in life, but you have to work hard
for it, believe in yourself, and not give up.
[…] I get scared that my kids are going to be spoiled and are not humble."
To balance out the Disney cruises, the sprawling 16,000-square-foot mansion, and the other
obvious perks of being the offspring of a multi-millionaire, Buddy and his wife Lisa
assign their kids actual chores.
While it's unclear whether they ever have to clean the toilet, Buddy shared with the
outlet,
"I take them to work with me.
I make them earn a dollar.
When they earn that dollar they can spend that money just to understand about life.
It is important in real life."
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