Why You Don't Hear Much From Cake Boss Star Buddy Valastro Anymore
Buddy Valastro became an overnight celebrity chef when TLC picked up his idea for "Cake Boss," a reality show that would feature the operation of his Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey. Soon after it aired in April 2009, not only did the little mom-and-pop bakery see a boost in sales, but the small town where it was filmed experienced a boost in tourism, HudsonReporter.com reported in 2010. Dubbed the "Cake Boss" effect, some patrons were driving five hours all the way from Maryland to try Valastro's goods. "Cake Boss" ran until April 2020.
After that, Valastro largely stayed out of the spotlight for a few years — and there were good reasons for it. But the Cake Boss is back. In November 2023, Valastro debuted not one but two new series on A&E, "Legends of the Fork" and "Buddy Valastro's Cake Dynasty." The first differs from his previous TV shows, as it features his search for America's great restaurants. The second takes a similar approach to "Cake Boss."
But this iteration features the behind-the-scenes of running not a bakery but a food empire that includes 14 bakeries and eight restaurants. It also showcases the growing roles his children have in the business. Valastro couldn't be more proud. "It's definitely a more grownup version. We're a little bit more real and raw. So sometimes there's a couple of F bombs here and there," he told People. After a couple of challenging years, it sounds like Valastro is ready to step on the gas again.
Buddy Valastro was hit by COVID-19 and a gruesome injury
An economic downturn and a health crisis forced Buddy Valastro to turn his focus inward. In September 2020, Valastro's suffered a bowling accident at his home alley that resulted in his right hand being caught by a pinsetter. "I looked at my hand and there was blood everywhere and I was stuck, the rod going back and forth," he told Today shortly after the accident, describing how his teenaged sons cut him loose. Valastro had to undergo two emergency surgeries.
The serious injury left him unable to use his dominant hand for six months. "My hands are everything to me. Without my hands in the decorating world, I'm nothing," he told Extra in August 2023. His hand never fully healed, but it healed well enough to put Valastro back in the game. "I have a lot of mobility and strength. I've got one more surgery I gotta get and get a finger straightened out," he said, adding his hand is about 95% recovered.
To add to that difficult time, Valastro was also dealing with the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The businesses that were hit the hardest were his mall bakeries due to their indoor location, and a Las Vegas eatery due to restrictions on travel. "It's really a tough, tough time in the restaurant, bakery, and retail business right now. We are probably doing about 40% of what we would normally be doing," he told Yahoo! in November 2020.
Buddy Valastro has no plans to retire
Buddy Valastro doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. "I'm wired a certain way. It's a good thing and a bad thing. My mind is always [full of] ideas and creativity, different things ... so I need this as an outlet," he told Distractify in 2022. But he does intend to leave his children in charge of his business empire eventually — and he anticipates they'll promote significant changes. "They want to do more trendy stuff ... they told me I'm more traditional." He understands change is inevitable, though. "I applaud it, you know, I really love the fact that they're interested in it," he said.
Besides, Buddy is all about family, which became even more true after he lost his mother, Mary Valastro, to Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in June 2017. Though he was unable to set foot in Carlo's Bake Shop for some time following the 69-year-old matriarch's death, Buddy knew he wanted to make her proud. And Mary wanted him to keep going. "She wants me to be the patriarch of the family and keep doing what I'm doing, 100%," he told People in July 2017. "There's not even a doubt in my mind."
There is no economic crisis or injuries that will make him stop. In March 2024, he showed he's feeling strong enough to craft a mighty mozzarella made by hand. "Bringing a slice of Hoboken to Vegas, one epic cheese pull at a time!" he wrote on Instagram.