Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Jr. (born March 3, 1977) is an American baker and reality television personality of Italian heritage. He is the owner of Carlo's Bakery, as well as the face of Buddy V's Ristorante. Valastro is best known as the star of the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

series '' Cake Boss'', which premiered in April 2009. He has also starred in '' Next Great Baker'' (2010), ''

Kitchen Boss ''Kitchen Boss'' is an American television series that airs on TLC, hosted by Buddy Valastro, the star of ''Cake Boss ''Cake Boss'' is an American reality television series, which originally aired on the cable television network TLC. The ser ...

'' (2011), '' Buddy's Bakery Rescue'' (2013), ''Bake You Rich'' (2013), ''Bakery Boss'' (2013), ''Buddy vs. Duff'' (2019), and ''Buddy vs. Christmas'' (2020).

Early life

Valastro was born in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

, and grew up there and in

Little Ferry, New Jersey Little Ferry is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 10,626,Altamura Altamura (, ; nap, label= Barese, Ialtamùre) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, in southern Italy. It is located on one of the hills of the Murge plateau in the Metropolitan City of Bari, southwest of Bari, close to the border with Basili ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, and is the daughter of Italian-American immigrants who moved to New Jersey when she was six years old. His father, Buddy Sr was born in

Lipari Lipari (; scn, Lìpari) is the largest of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, southern Italy; it is also the name of the island's main town and ''comune'', which is administratively part of the Metropol ...

. Valastro grew up with four sisters: Grace, Mary, Maddalena and Lisa. He attended

Ridgefield Park High School Ridgefield Park High School is a six-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in seventh through twelfth grade from Ridgefield Park, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary scho ...

and took baking courses at the

Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro Campus Bergen County Technical High School, also known as Bergen Tech (BT), is a four-year, tuition-free public magnet high school located in Teterboro, New Jersey serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Bergen County, New Jersey, United S ...

. Valastro began working at his family's business, Carlo's Bakery at age 11, alongside his father. When his father died in 1994, Valastro was 17. Valastro took over the family business.

Career

Valastro is the owner and head baker of Carlo's Bakery, the bakery featured on the TLC show '' Cake Boss''. Carlo's has since opened 17 more bakeries due to the popularity of the show. In January 2012, as a result of the attention that the shop and the TV series had brought to the city of Hoboken, the '' Hudson Reporter'' named Valastro as an honorable mention in its list of Hudson County's 50 most influential people. Carlo's Bakery has seven locations in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

— Hoboken, Marlton, Morristown, Red Bank, Ridgewood, Wayne, and Westfield. Outside of New Jersey, the bakery operates locations in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

; Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Westbury and New York, New York; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio, and The Woodlands, Texas; São Paulo, Brazil; Uncasville, Connecticut;

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

and most recently in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

. The Lackawanna Factory in nearby Jersey City serves as the corporate office for the business and is used as additional space to create wedding and specialty cakes, and to bake specialty baked goods for shipment across the country. Valastro launched an event planning and catering company, Buddy V's Events, in June 2014. In 2016 Valastro partnered with Whole Earth Sweetener Co. on the campaign "Rethink Sweet." The company said Valastro would serve as

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embo ...

for a "new line of zero- and lower-calorie sweeteners, and will work to help his fans make healthy lifestyle choices", and provide recipes using the product. In 2018 Valastro partnered with The Pound Bakery, a pet treat manufacturing company to redesign and launch a new line of pet treats. "We wanted to create palatable treats for dogs that are inspired by classic Italian entrees and desserts," said Lexie Berglund, President of The Pound Bakery. Buddy also worked with several other companies to launch a full line of ready-to-use fondant, buttercream icing, and Italian Biscotti cookies under the new brand name Buddy Valastro Foods in 2018. Valastro, a supporter of the Special Olympics, baked a commemorative cake for the 2011 announcement that the 2014 Special Olympics USA National Games would be held in New Jersey.

Personal life

Buddy and Lisa Valastro married on October 14, 2001. Until 2014, Valastro resided in East Hanover Township, New Jersey, with their four children: Sofia, Bartolo "Buddy" III, Marco, and Carlo. He has four sisters and a stepfather, Sergio. His brother-in-law is Maurizio Belgiovine. As of 2014, he resided in Montville, New Jersey. On November 13, 2014, Valastro was arrested for driving while intoxicated. His driver's license was suspended for 90 days, and he paid a $300 fine. In September 2020, Valastro had his right (dominant) hand impaled by a pinsetter at his home bowling alley. His sons and other family members rescued him by cutting him out of the machine. He underwent two emergency surgeries.

Politics

Valastro supported and campaigned for Republican Governor Chris Christie in his 2013 re-election bid, and in 2014 baked his birthday cake. He also endorsed Christie's 2016 presidential campaign.

Filmography

Television

As producer

Buddy Valastro at a Cake Fair in Orlando, FL

In popular culture

Comedian

Paul F. Tompkins Paul Francis Tompkins (born September 12, 1968) is an American comedian, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television on such programs as ''Mr. Show with Bob and David'', '' Real Time with Bill Maher'', and ''Best Week Ever'', later ...

plays a parody of Buddy Valastro on the '' Comedy Bang! Bang!'' podcast and the IFC TV show.

References

External links

Carlo's Bakery Shop official websiteBuddy V's Events official websiteCakeHouse Media official websiteBuddy Valastro Foods official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valastro, Buddy 1977 births American chefs American male chefs American bakers Pastry chefs American people of Italian descent People from East Hanover, New Jersey People from Hoboken, New Jersey People from Little Ferry, New Jersey People from Montville, New Jersey Living people Participants in American reality television series Ridgefield Park High School alumni