8 DAYS | 99BUDDY
VALASTRO
The Cake Boss star, 40, on dealing
with his mother’s death, reviewing
homemade cakes, and baking topless.8 DAYS | 998 DAYS: Cake Boss is now in its ninth season.
What's your most memorable moment from this
season?
BUDDY VALASTRO: It would have to be the tribute to my
mum. It was such a hard episode for me to watch ’cos it
brought back memories of her passing. When she died, I
was a lot more mentally prepared compared to the time
my dad died, ’cos my mum had suffered from ALS for 10
years. I felt obligated to tell my fans what had happened.
But I didn’t want to go overboard. It was like, my mum
died, and I didn’t give a [expletive] about being on TV. I
think what we did was so magnificent. People would get
a glimpse of Mama the way we remembered her.
How do you keep things fresh on the show?
I don’t worry too much about keeping it fresh; I
worry more about keeping it real. I feel that my
show has been successful
all these years and people
relate to me ’cos I’m real.
And whenever I have a new
season, I try to do a couple of
cakes that are totally over the top, like a
Transformers cake or a dragon cake, ’cos
I like to show off a little (laughs). But other than a couple
of showstoppers, we always try to keep things real. My
kids grew up on the show and you see them become an
intricate part of the business.
You’re surrounded by cakes all day, are you sick of
eating cake?
Ha! I tell you, I am not ’cos I love my cakes. But I don’t
order cake for dessert when I dine out, even though most
of the time the kitchen brings out cake for me. And the
pastry chef would be standing there, staring at me, and
I’d be thinking, “Oh God, I’m going to die here!” You don’t
want to insult anyone. They want me to critique their
cakes, but I give only positive feedback. I’m not that kind
of guy who would go, “That’s disgusting.”STORY (^) YIP JIEYING
PHOTO: TLC
Can amateur bakers tweet
photos of their homemade cakes for
you for critique, like they do with Gordon
Ramsay?
I can’t critique people’s cakes! I don’t want to be a
copycat ’cos Gordon is my friend and I respect him.
Maybe [throwing insults] is a British thing. In real
life, he’s the nicest guy and a gentleman.
There’s a famous YouTube personality called
the Topless Baker who bakes, well, topless.
What are your thoughts on him?
Is he good-looking? (Hears our answer) He is? Well,
20 years ago I could have been that guy. I was
pretty jacked! But my wife is a good cook and I
gained 30 pounds (13kg) after we got married, so
yeah. I applaud anyone who has fun baking. I don’t
think baking topless is the most hygienic thing in
the world, but I could decorate a cake topless. I just
might have to shave my chest first!
The season finale of Cake Boss airs Dec 13, TLC (Singtel TV
Ch 254 & StarHub Ch 427), 9pm. It’s also on Singtel TV and
StarHub on Demand.