Jeffrey Adam "Duff" Goldman (born December 17, 1974) is an American businessman, pastry chef, television personality, and writer. He is the executive chef of the

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

-based Charm City Cakes shop, which was featured in the

Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...

reality television show '' Ace of Cakes'', and his second,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

–based, shop Charm City Cakes West, which is featured in Food Network's ''Duff Till Dawn'' and "Cake Masters" series.Julekha Dash.
Audacity brings chef sweet success
, ''Baltimore Business Journal''. Accessed January 20, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2007. His work has also been featured on the ''

Food Network Challenge ''Food Network Challenge'' is a competitive cooking television series that aired on the Food Network. In each episode, professional chefs vie in a timed competition in their professional specialty. The winner receives a check for $10,000 and a go ...

'', ''

Iron Chef America ''Iron Chef America'' is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's ''Iron Chef'', and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed ''Iron Chef USA'' that aired in 2001. The show is produced by Food Network, wh ...

'', ''

Oprah Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', broadcast from Chic ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...

'', '' Man v. Food'', ''Buddy vs. Duff'', ''Duff Takes the Cake'', and '' Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time''.

Early life, family and education

Goldman was born in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family. Goldman's nickname Duff came about when he was a baby. His toddler brother, Willie Goldman, was unable to pronounce Jeffrey and kept saying Duffy."710 Things You Didn't Know About... Duff "
, '' The Food Network'' Retrieved on August 3, 2010. When he was four years old, his mother caught him in her kitchen wielding a meat cleaver and watching food personality Chef Tell. After the divorce of his parents when he was ten years old, Goldman resided in both

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...

and in the town of

Sandwich, Massachusetts Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States and is the oldest town on Cape Cod. The town motto is ''Post tot Naufracia Portus'', "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". The population was 20,259 at the 2020 census. Histor ...

, on

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

. In 1992, Goldman attended

McLean High School McLean High School is a public high school within the Fairfax County Public Schools in McLean, Virginia, United States. In 2024, ''U.S. News & World Report'' rated McLean the 218th-best U.S. public high school, and fifth-best in Virginia. Hist ...

McLean, Virginia McLean ( ) is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population of the community was 50,773 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is ...

where he played on the Highlanders ice hockey team. In 1993, he graduated from Sandwich High School. At the

University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...

(UMBC), he earned a bachelor's degree in East Asian History with a minor in Ethics. Thereafter, he attended Corcoran College of Art and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California.

Early career

From age fourteen, he began to work in kitchens; his first job was at a bagel store at a mall. Goldman also worked as a fry cook at McDonald's. Goldman has said that when he was a sophomore in college, he went to the Baltimore restaurant Charleston, which he considered the finest restaurant in Baltimore. Aspiring to be a cook there, he applied. The head

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

, Cindy Wolf, looked at his résumé and noted that it consisted of irrelevant experience. However, Cindy did offer him a job to make

cornbread Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States, with origins in Native American cuisine. It is an example of batter bread. Dumplings and pancakes made with finely ground cornmeal are st ...

and

biscuit A biscuit is a flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also be savoury, similar to crackers. ...

s only, and this is what Goldman cites as the turning point in his career. He worked under acclaimed chefs in California, including a stagiaire position at the

French Laundry The French Laundry is a three-Michelin star French and Californian cuisine restaurant located in Yountville, California, in the Napa Valley. Sally Schmitt opened The French Laundry in 1978 and designed her menus around local, seasonal ingred ...

and as executive pastry chef of the Vail Cascade Hotel in

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, he returned to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to work at Todd English's restaurant, Olives, baking bread.

Charm City Cakes

In 2002, Goldman made forays into the food industry when he started his own business by opening his own bakery called Charm City Cakes. Initially, his cake sales began as he worked out of his house in Charles Village in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, with the help of two assistants he employed. As demand grew, he hired more employees, hiring painters, architects, and sculptors to work on the development and expansion of his bakery. Charm City Cakes frequently uses blow torches, as well as power tools such as grinders and drills to help create the underlying supports of cakes. Goldman has made cakes for former President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

during his second inaugural ball in 2013, novelist

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

, the cast of ''Lost'', the ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satire, satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live' ...

'' cast (along with a cake prop), actor Sir Roger Moore, and for pop singer

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

's "

Birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

" video.

Cookbooks

Goldman has written three cookbooks: ''Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes'', ''Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home,'' and ''Super Good Baking for Kids.''

Other televised appearances

In 2022, Goldman competed in season seven of '' The Masked Singer'' as "McTerrier" of Team Good. After the performance of

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1979. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly "Turn Me Loose (Loverboy song), Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still hear ...

's " Working for the Weekend", McTerrier's mask accidentally came off and he had to shield his head while the panelists shielded their eyes until a crew member had to run out and put the mask back on. He was the first to be eliminated. Goldman is a judge on several

cooking competitions, such as Holiday Baking Championship,

Spring Baking Championship ''Spring Baking Championship'' is an American cooking reality competition television series that airs on Food Network. It was originally presented by chef Bobby Deen with fellow Food Network chefs Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pasca ...

and

Kids Baking Championship ''Kids Baking Championship'' is a competitive reality baking program produced by Levity Entertainment Group for the Food Network. Each week, the children compete to make the best dish, and are judged on presentation, taste, and creativity. The ...

. He co-hosts the last show with

Valerie Bertinelli Valerie Anne Bertinelli (born April 23, 1960) is an American actress and television personality. She began acting as a child actor, child and made her screen debut in a 1974 episode of Apple's Way, ''Apple's Way''. She gained wide recognition f ...

. Duff has appeared in ''

Guy's Grocery Games '' Guy's Grocery Games'' (often nicknamed ''Triple G'') is an American reality competition television series hosted by Guy Fieri and his son Hunter on Food Network. Each episode features four chefs competing in a three-round elimination contest ...

'' - most notably the Season 25 Episode 18 episode titled ''Delivery: All-Star

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

'', in which he competed against Aaron May and Eric Greenspan, and the judges were Antonia Lofaso, Catherine McCord, and Jonathan Waxman. All of whom are of Jewish descent, except for Ms. McCord, whose husband is Jewish.

Personal life

As of 2021, Goldman lives in Los Angeles, California. He played bass guitar in an indie-rock band called "...soihadto...". He later became the bass player in the band Foigrock (a play on

foie gras ; (, ) is a specialty food product made of the liver of a Domestic duck, duck or Domestic goose, goose. According to French law, ''foie gras'' is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ''gavage'' (force feeding). ''Foie gras'' i ...

and rock and roll). He states his alternate dream job would be to perform as a bass player with the band

Clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does th ...

. Goldman has made a wedding cake for Clutch's lead singer,

Neil Fallon Neil Fallon (born October 25, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Clutch. He is also the lead singer for The Company Band and Dunsmuir, and joined The Bakerton Group on guitar sta ...

. In addition, Fallon's younger sister and Goldman's friend from college, Mary Alice Fallon-Yeskey, works at Charm City Cakes as the office manager.Alan H. Feiler, "Flour Power", ''Baltimore Jewish Times'', March 2, 2007. Goldman is Jewish and enjoys giving back to the community. In an interview with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, Goldman said "Tzedakah is very important to me. I’ve been so fortunate with everything that has happened to me, it would be a crime not to give back." In 2012, Goldman lost toes in a motorcycle accident. On April 2, 2018, Goldman proposed to Johnna Colbry, whom he later married. On September 25, 2019, Goldman spoke at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, discussing the importance of

Jewish identity Jewish identity is the objective or subjective sense of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. It encompasses elements of nationhood, "The Jews are a nation and were so before there was a Jewish state of Israel" "Jews are ...

and

tzedakah ''Tzedakah'' ( ''ṣədāqā'', ) is a Hebrew word meaning "righteousness", but commonly used to signify ''charity''. This concept of "charity" differs from the modern Western understanding of "charity". The latter is typically understood as ...

in his life. On August 8, 2020, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, expected in January 2021. In January 2021, their daughter was born.

Filmography

* ''Cake Masters'' (2016-) * ''Duff Till Dawn'' (2015) * '' Ace of Cakes'' (2006-2011) * '' Holiday Baking Championship'' (2014-) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2014-) * ''

'' (2015-) * '' Worst Bakers in America'' (2016-) * ''Dessert Games'' (2017-) * '' Buddy vs. Duff'' (2019-) * '' Duff Takes the Cake'' (2019-) * '' Double Dare'' (2019) * ''

Ryan's Mystery Playdate ''Ryan's Mystery Playdate'' is an American children's television series created by Albie Hecht and produced by the company PocketWatch that aired on Nickelodeon from April 19, 2019 to April 16, 2023. The series is based on the Ryan's World You ...

'' (2019) * '' Unfiltered'' (2020) * '' Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time'' (2021) * '' The Masked Singer'' (2022) * ''Summer Baking Championship'' (2023-) * ''

Delivery'' * '' The Tiny Chef Show'' (2025)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldman, Duff 1974 births Living people 21st-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American bakers American chief executives of food industry companies American food company founders American male chefs American male non-fiction writers American television chefs Businesspeople from Detroit Businesspeople from Baltimore Television chefs Chefs from Maryland Culinary Institute of America alumni Food Network chefs George Washington University Corcoran School alumni Jewish American musicians Jewish American non-fiction writers Musicians from Detroit Musicians from Maryland Pastry chefs University of Maryland, Baltimore County alumni Writers from Baltimore Writers from Detroit Chefs from Michigan