Join Chef Dominic Palazzolo on location at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey as he visits the immense facility where Buddy Valastro and his crew create cakes for their customers and film the Cake Boss television show.
The adventure began in a tremendous room filled with every cake decorating tool imaginable. The awe inspiring sensation of standing in this impressive room is an experience akin to being in cake decorator’s Disneyland. The television cameras just don’t do it justice.
Cakes and tools line the walls; twelve long granite tables each sport a full size sheeter on one end; sculptors work on figurines in front of computers, and the smell of fresh baked goods looms in the air from the adjacent kitchen.
Dominic Introduces the New Toys
The girls gathered around one of the tables where Dominic began demonstrating how to work with a few of the new fashion accessory molds from the Elisa Strauss Collection. First, he showed the cake decorating staff how to press fondant down into the Spike Strap Mold and apply a dab of water to the exposed side of each one before loading more fondant into the rest of the mold. These are the essential steps to making the spikes come out clean and pointy. Then he showed them how to use the Medium Chain Mold, removing the fondant from the center of the chain to reveal perfectly formed links fit to wear around your wrist. A little later, a staff member was working on a customer’s order using the Savvy Chevron Silicone Onlay® with two different shades of blue. Dominic gave her some tips on how to line up each new fondant section by peering through the holes designed to reveal the pattern applied beneath, allowing the sections to be adjoined precisely.
Lunch Break
Grace Faugno, Buddy’s sister, who was kind enough to invite us also treated the entire staff to lunch. We fetched fresh baked pizza and other hot Italian dishes outside where a food truck had parked and set up. We enjoyed our meals with Grace and the cake decorating staff while Dominic shared stories of his childhood growing up working in his father’s donut shop.
Dominic and Buddy Reunite
When Buddy Valastro walked in the room, it was surprising to discover he’s even more handsome in person than on television. He enthusiastically embraced Dominic and began explaining how the features of Marvelous Molds® have “set a higher standard of mold making… that make us better cake decorators.”Buddy shared his experience working with Marvelous Molds® and the impact our products have had on his business. A staff member brought over a blue and gold wedding cake decorated with the Betty Lace Mold. Buddy explained how easy it is to make a cake like this that looks difficult to make and that fifteen years ago, they never could have imagined being able to do stuff like this or doing it this easily. Buddy also indicated that he and his staff use Marvelous Molds®’ products all the time because “it has made life easier as a cake decorator.” We thank Buddy Valastro, Grace Faugno and the staff for a wonderful day at Carlo’s Bakery and look forward to seeing the fabulous cakes they create with our products.