The popular baker will speak at Symphony Hall on Saturday.
"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro
The open sign is hanging once again at Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, home to “Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro who will be leaving the hurricane ravaged city to bring his holiday-themed road show, “Homemade for the Holidays,” to Springfield’s Symphony Hall on Saturday night.
The popular host of the TLC reality show “Cake Boss” told The Republican his family bakery and cake factory only lost power during the storm and didn’t sustain any major damage.
“It was very surprising because Hoboken and all of New Jersey got the brunt of the storm. There is still so much damage to homes and local businesses. We’re very lucky,” said Valastro.
Valastro, whose father died when he was 17, is an accomplished fourth generation baker born into the business owned and operated by his parents.
In his 55,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility, Valastro and his staff turn out thousands of wedding cakes, specialty cakes, and pastries weekly. His award- winning designs have been featured numerous times in different bridal and baking magazines. Carlo’s Bakery has also been featured in books, newspapers, and television.
Valastro took time from his busy bakery and television schedule compounded by dealing with Hurricane Sandy, to answer several questions about this weekend’s show, his bakery, television show and love of the holidays.
This will be your second visit to Symphony Hall. What can audiences expect to see and hear at your “Homemade for the Holidays” show?
I’m really looking forward to this tour. I love interacting with my fans, getting them on stage to take a stab at piping and making buttercream roses. I’ll be demonstrating some of my favorite holiday decorating ideas and sharing a lot of stories on how my family and the bakery celebrate the holidays.
What importance do the holidays have for you personally?
The holidays are always a special time for my family. Even though we’re together at the bakery most of the time, we’re all working. During Christmas, we get to sit down together, spend quality time with one another, and share a huge Christmas dinner. There are always at least 20 of us every year. That is definitely my favorite part of the holidays – the Valastro Christmas dinner.
What is your bakery like during the holidays, and are there some popular treats with your customers?
The bakery is definitely busiest during the holidays, but we expect that and bake enough extra pastries every day to meet the rush. The Honey Balls are always a favorite and our cookies, too.
Fruitcakes take a bad rap during the holiday season, do you make fruit cakes?
Actually, we don’t.
Retail businesses often entail long hours, what does that mean for you during the holidays?
Since I was a kid helping my dad at the bakery, I’ve always worked on Christmas Eve and even Christmas. It’s all I know, so being busy those days doesn’t really bother me. I want to make sure all of my customers get their favorite holiday desserts in time. I start early on Christmas and then I’m able to get home in time for dinner.
Did you ever imagine your original TLC show “Cake Boss” would be such a big hit?
Honestly, I wanted it to be successful, but I didn’t expect just how so many people and families would relate to it. At the end of the day, this is a show about family and how we all work together. I’m grateful that this is a show families can watch together. How has your celebrity changed your life? I still think of myself as just a baker and I’ve always had a hectic schedule, so on the surface, I don’t feel things are that different. What has really meant a lot to me since the show started is how many people have told me I inspire them to go after their dreams.
What’s up next for you on television?“
“Cake Boss” and Season 3 of “Next Great Baker” will premiere on Nov. 26 on TLC. I’m really looking forward to that. We’ve got a lot of fun challenges going on in both shows.
Are you working on any new books?
Actually, my third book, “Cooking Italian with the Cake Boss,” was just released on November 6. I really enjoyed working on this one because everyone knows me for my baking, but I actually love to cook, too. I included a lot of my own recipes and my family’s favorites, too. included a lot of my own recipes and my family’s favorites, too. I want to bring back the family meal with easy-to-cook, delicious recipes.