Buddy Valastro

Buddy Valastro was born as Bartolo Valastro, Jr. on March 3, 1977 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to parents Bartolo Valastro, Sr. and Mary Valastro. He has four sisters. Buddy also has a stepfather. Valastro married Elisabetta "Lisa" in 2001. The couple has three sons, Carlo, Marco, and Buddy Jr., as well as a daughter, Sofia. Until 2014, the celebrity chef lived in East Hanover Township, New Jersey and later on moved to Montville.

Buddy Valastro started working at his family bakery shop ‘Carlo’s Bakery’ at the age of 11. His father, Bartolo Valastro Sr., was a baker who bought the bakery shop in 1964. Buddy followed the footsteps of his father and collaborated with him to jointly run their shop. When he was 17 years old, his father died and he solely took over the responsibility of the family bakery business. After doing a lot of hard work, Buddy made his father’s dream of making Carlo’s Bakery a household name come true.

His bakery shop became popular for its stunning wedding cakes. As a result of this, Buddy’s creations got featured in several bridal magazines. This exposure gave him a golden opportunity and he was invited to ‘Food Network Challenge’ in the year 2007. After this, Buddy was requested by people to pursue his own show. He then used his connections and created the show ‘Cake Boss’ featuring himself, his mother, and four sisters. This show became an instant hit and ultimately raised the chef to greater heights of fame. Note that currently the ‘Cake Boss’ is airing its 8th season on TLC.

Following the popularity of this show, Buddy Valastro established Carlo's Bakery in several other locations as well. Today, the bakery has seven branches in New Jersey as well as many more outside of it. In 2010, the American chef embarked on the live interactive event ‘Bakin’ with The Boss Tour’. In this event, he made cakes as well as shared stories about his Italian family. In 2014, he launched ‘Buddy V's Events’, an event planning and catering company that specializes in catering to family gatherings as well as in planning events like weddings and galas. Two years later, Buddy collaborated with Whole Earth Sweetener Co. for a campaign.

In 2014, Valastro was arrested by the police for driving under the influence of alcohol. As a result of this incident, his driving licence got suspended for 90 days. He even had to pay a fine of 300 dollars.