380 replies to this topic

[OSM Mom]

Buddy Valastro is one of the most successful and renowned cake artists in the United States. Master baker of Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey, Buddy is the cake boss.

He supervises a team that includes his mother, four older sisters and three brothers-in-law. And when you're working with family on a daily basis, there is bound to be a lot of drama. The Valastros know drama but and at the end of the day they also know love.

Cake Boss chronicles Buddy's over-arching desire to achieve his late father's dream of making Carlo's Bake Shop a household name with or without the help of his family.

The premiere was last night on TLC. Wow. The cakes he makes are just spectacular. Those cakes he made for Brides Magazine just blew me away.

[jani14344]

I didnt know ace of cakes started some fad among reality shows, this one, the one on e, another on another channel that i forgo. I remember him. He always lost during the cake challenge.

[tonkacat]

I thought the three wedding cakes looked too much alike.

[mamapajama]

I thought the magazine wanted the cakes to look alike. They told him to make them black and white. They were gorgeous. I thought the one he did freehand was the best. This might be worth watching. (Who am I kidding? almost none of the crap I watch is worth watching, but I watch it anyway.)

[discomom]

I had to DVR this when I saw that it was about Buddy. I remember him from several cake competitions. I wasn't disappointed! (Ok, so maybe I need a life) Talk about Saturday Night Fever in a bakery! Watch the hair! Where's the sugar? We got no sugar!
I do have to say it was sweet when Buddy teared up talking about his dad, and about the promise that he made to him that everyone in the US would know about their bakery. I will definitely watch another episode.

[RoadTrip]

I enjoyed the first episode. I really like Ace of Cakes, and the atmosphere is completely different in this bakery. I agree that the freehand black and white cake was the best looking version. I think that making those three versions were a waste of time. Bride's Magazine must have asked him to make 3 identical cakes using different techniques...because if they just asked for 3 black and white cakes he missed an opportunity to showcase his talents and creativity by making completely different looking cakes.

Watch the hair! Where's the sugar? We got no sugar!

Here's your #@#*!# sugar!!!

[Lopethina]

I'm glad I DVR'd this, so I could fast-forward through all the guido chaos and just see the finished cakes.

[ScarySkierNJ]

Well another show based in New Jersey. A bakery in Hoboken wants to be the best bakery in NJ. Tonight they are doing a fire truck cake complete with lights and sirens for retiring firemen. They are also doing a high end shoe, purse and other "fashionista items" for two women turning 30. The head of the bakery is named Buddy and just imagine someone from the Soprano's running a bakery!

[eljae]

I drive by this bakery practically every day. I have heard so much good stuff about their cakes, I just had to try it out. I got a cupcake and was not impressed at all. I did not care for the frosting. I may have to give them another shot.

I had to laugh that they had to get in the car to take the cake piece by car to repair that cake. They were like a short block away.

[jumper sage]

All the yelling was too much for me. Maybe it's just me but when I want a cake for my child's birthday or any special occasion I would like it not to be created in a horrid environment. I always thought Ace of Cakes was a bit cheesy but they do seem to be artists and enjoy their jobs.

[LadyClipper]

I don't see the need to market this show as "The Sopranos Bakes". It's a lovely Italian-American family that lives in New Jesery. That's where the similarity ends.
The cakes were beautiful! I think the homage he shows to his Dad is really touching. I like that they wear uniforms. Everyone looks clean and professional. I'll be watching.

[Nutjob]

I didn't watch more than a few minutes of the show, but Buddy (who has been on a number of Food Network cake challenges) just strikes me as a Duff Goldman knockoff, only with every imaginable Italian New Jersey stereotype.

[camom]

I normally would tune in for a show like this, but I've seen Buddy on Food Network cake challenges and I find him to be a real tool. He thinks waaaaaaayyy to highly of himself, and watching a whole show featuring him would be like nails on a chalkboard for me. Just seeing the promos cements my "That guy's a real jerk" image.

[curlyblackeggs]

The cakes were just gorgeous (makes CCC look like child's play, IMHO), but the personalities are borderline insufferable. I'll settle for walking by and admiring through the window on my way to Barnes&Noble, thankyouverymuch.

Also, I felt like he was totally in the wrong to scream at (and then flour) the delivery boy. I don't see how a driving error would cause a whole wall of fondant to fall so perfectly -- looked to me like it wasn't properly attached in the first place.

[Fionas2]

Loved the cakes, but I could do without all of the scripted drama and chaos.

[LaHeap]

strikes me as a Duff Goldman knockoff

Except that Duff's cakes are amateurish looking. These cakes are spectacular. The guy has talent.

[ElectricBoogalo]

I'm not a huge fan of Ace of Cakes, but watching Cake Boss made me realize how lucky the Food Network got when they found a cake maker who can talk to the camera without sounding like he's reading cue cards in a foreign language. Buddy's talking head segments sound so forced and fake.

I thought it was a bit much for him to immediately assume that the delivery kid did something to ruin the cake. The fact that the delivery kid immediately told Buddy that the problem was the fondant was too soft and fell off says to me that the delivery kid is more fondant savvy than Buddy is.

Add to that the preview for the next episode where the frosting falls off the bunny cake and I'm sensing a trend here: some sort of decorating incompetence.

The one redeeming thing was that every time Buddy said fon-dont, I laughed my ass off.

[scarlett03]

What is with all the yelling? Seriously. I know they're Italian, I know it's New Jersey, but come on. I would have a nervous breakdown if I worked in that bakery and watching it stresses me out. Is it impossible for them to talk in a normal tone of voice?

The fondant falling off the cake was so not the delivery guy's fault. In fact, I bet the whole thing was a setup for the show and so they could stage their "revenge." Lame.

[Biosynth]

I have to say, I really hated this show. I hate the whole stereotype Italian family thing. They really fit the overblown mould you see in movies and tv. It drives me up the wall, actually.

My mother was from Palermo. Infact, the entirety of family on my mother's side were all from Sicily. We were never like that. Ever. We had big Italian gatherings, yes. They were boisterous, yes. They were never as portrayed on such movies as Godfather, nor were we never like this group of people on Cake Boss.

My father was not Italian, he was Swiss. He was a pastry chef. I grew up in the cake making business. We had our fun times in the bakery, but we were never cruel, arrogant or idiotic like this group is. Or at least not like this hamfisted imbecile is.

The problem with the Fondant might have been that it was a warm day and the icing under it melted. It also could be that the cake they were using was too soft and crumbled. They need to use a sturdier cake recipe (I noticed that jerk didn't yell at the cake baker, part of that was his fault. Or maybe Idiot Owner's recipe sucks). I also noticed that the icing layer under the fondant was pretty sparse. Someone was cheap on the icing. I felt so sorry for that poor delivery guy. And then the flour thing, just horrible.

I don't know the bakery owner's name so I'll just call him Hamfist had said over and over again that this was a family business and that's who's doing the work. It had better be, because no other employee would be able to tolerate the belligerence. Can't people get sued for creating a hostile work environment?

Won't be watching again.

[Trainwreck23]

Well I'm glad to see my decision to stay away from this show after seeing the commercials was a wise one. I nearly had to turn the channel from the commercials alone, the constant screaming for the sake of screaming was just too much. Sounds like the show was more of the same.

[ScarySkierNJ]

In my NJ town we also have a family Italian bakery that has been in the same family for over 50 years. Like Buddy, the owner is a larger than life Italian, who I think likes the sterotype to be honest. They don't do the kind of cakes, Buddy does, but they have excellent products that they take pride in an if you are ever unhappy they take car of it pronto. It is also very loud in there. They have a back room off the main showroom/cashier area and they just are loud people whether they are happy or mad! During the holidays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas when the pressure is on it so loud it gives you a headache! Like Cake Boss, I would say 90% of this bakery is run by family and the reason is they feel family won't steal or screw you. They have 3/4 generations working there now, which is kinda cool. I'll continue to watch because I want to see what they create next, I'll just turn the volume down!

[gant77]

For a second my boyfriend and i thought we were watching a lost episode of "The Sopranos" for a second. I was scared when I saw the basic cakes with the cheap frosting and pink flowers, real bad memories with those cakes. I am glad to see that they do other types as well.
Even though they are loud I would rather watch this that Ace of Cakes, I cant stand Duff, especially after the first seaosn when he told a customer to i believe suck on a certain part of his anatomy.

[YellowOctober]

Post deleted.

Edited by YellowOctober, Feb 1, 2010 @ 12:33 AM.

[LadyClipper]

I don't think Buddy was being mean to the delivery kid. It was a set up. I like Buddy. I like Duff. As reality shows go this is really a talent. Ace of Cakes is different. I prefer the clean white chef jackets on Cake Boss. The One thing that has always made me crazy on AoC is everyone is in street clothes like they just rolled out of bed to bake no hair nets on all that hair Yikes. Buddy is a traditional Duff more rock and roll Both talented. Will watch

[VanillaBear85]

Speaking of which, I wonder why they can't say "no" to a customer or at least post rules about orders and time restraints.

When I worked as a cake decorator, there was a 24 hour "rule". If a customer would call and say they needed a cake in an hour, we would do our best to make that deadline though (and usually did). It's just good business. Granted, our cakes were not as elaborate.

[RoadTrip]

There was something about that big rabbit cake that looked like Buddy to me.
I think it was the bulging eyes and thick eyebrows.

[siamesecat2965]

There was something about that big rabbit cake that looked like Buddy to me.
I think it was the bulging eyes and thick eyebrows.

Heh. I didn't pick up on that resemblence, but I did think the bunny cake was a bit scary! I would think it would have had a more cute and cuddley expression, rather than looking like it was going to jump out at you if you opened the basement door!

I watched a bit, but was not all that impressed. Buddy was loud, crude and obnoxious; I couldn't even finish watching the one episode as he grated on my nerves. I did however switch back to the beginning of the second one, simply to see WHERE this bakery is, so I can avoid them!

[ScarySkierNJ]

How many shows are we going to see the icing falling off? That was the same drama for two weeks in a row. I wonder how much their cakes cost as AOC is like a minimum of $1,000 for just a basic cake. WTF???? I wonder how much Buddies cakes run?

[expletive]

I've seen Buddy on Food Network cake challenges and I find him to be a real tool. He thinks waaaaaaayyy to highly of himself

ITA. I laughed my ass off when his Lion King cake self-destructed during the FN Disney Villians challenge.

[weaverhi]

My gosh, is this show just going to consist of the baker shouting for a half hour? And why does no one in the bake room wear something on their head to cover their hair. Isn't that the law? It makes me nuts.