, and other members of the United States Army in
Times Square cutting a cake to celebrate the Army's 238th birthday in 2012|alt= Valastro grew the family bakery business into designer wedding cakes that were featured in bridal magazines. Through that exposure he was asked to compete in four
Food Network Challenge cake competitions. After losing his first three battles, he took the top prize of $10,000 on "battle of the brides". He then pitched a reality show about life at Carlo's, where he worked with his mother, sister and various in-laws and cousins. TLC picked up the show in 2009. In 2010 he authored his first book,
Cake Boss, Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia. He followed it up with other books, including,
Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy’s Best Recipes and Decorating Secrets, Cooking Italian with the Cake Boss: Family Favorites as Only Buddy Can Serve Them Up and
Family Celebrations with the Cake Boss. He was inducted into the
New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2017 and was introduced by Yankees' pitcher
Mariano Rivera. At the ceremony Valastro said, "I am damn proud to be from this state." Carlo's Bakery once had seven locations in
New Jersey:
Hoboken,
Marlton,
Morristown,
Red Bank,
Ridgewood,
Wayne, and
Westfield. Only the Hoboken and Marlton locations are operating as of December 2023. There are also bakeries in
New York City;
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania;
Uncasville, Connecticut;
Orlando, Florida;
Las Vegas;
San Antonio, Texas, and
Bloomington, Minnesota. There previously were stores in
Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Westbury, New York;
The Woodlands, Texas, and
São Paulo, Brazil. The Lackawanna Center in
Jersey City, located less than a mile from the original Hoboken shop, 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. In 2013 he opened Buddy V's Ristorante, an Italian restaurant at the
Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. His restaurant chain has grown in the city to include PizzaCake at
Harrah's, and Buddy's Jersey Eats and The Boss Cafe at
The Linq. 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 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. In 2019, Valastro launched "cake ATMs" – slices of cake sold through high-tech refrigerated vending machines in Las
Vegas and
Toronto. Dozens of machines are now located in
Canada and the US, primarily in
Florida, Las Vegas and New Jersey. In 2023 he moved to
A&E cable network and launched
Cake Dynasty, which focuses on his children joining the business, and
Legends of the Fork, which visits restaurants around the country. == Philanthropy ==