Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro revealed why he hasn’t returned to his world famous bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey in the wake of his mother’s death.
Valastro, who shot to fame after inviting TLC cameras into Carlo’s Bakery in the Garden State, revealed in a new interview that he hadn’t been back to the famous location in weeks because it has too many memories of his late mother, Mary Valastro, who passed away on June 22.
“I haven’t been back to Hoboken since she died and I know that when I go there, I’ll definitely break down,” Buddy told People this week of the family’s original bakery, which has been heavily featured on the reality show for the past eight seasons.
“That place has got so much history and that was my mom’s spot, that was her store,” he continued of the Hoboken location, which became so famous as a result of the TLC show that the street it’s located on Washington Street was renamed Carlo’s Bakery Way in 2010.
But while the Cake Boss star hasn’t returned to the location in the weeks that have followed his mom’s, affectionately known as Mama Mary, death, Valastro confirmed that he will be not be shutting down the family business as some fans initially feared and will continue to bake and expand their ever-growing franchise in her memory.
“She doesn’t want me to stop. She wants me to be the patriarch of the family and keep doing what I’m doing, 100 percent,” he said of his later mother, who appeared less frequently on Cake Boss during the most recent seasons. “There’s not even a doubt in my mind.”
It’s thought that Buddy took some time away from work after announcing his mother’s death in June following a long battle with ALS, although it’s not yet clear how much cameras for the series have been rolling.
People noted that the reality star baker has been “easing back into his responsibilities” after the Valastro family closed every single one of their bakeries on June 24 in memory of the late Mary. The company has locations in New Jersey, New York, Texas, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, and Brazil.
The Cake Boss patriarch then confirmed that the blanket closure – which is extremely rare for the bakery franchise – was also so the family and their employees could lay Mary to rest in an emotional ceremony in Jersey City.
Marking what’s thought to be the last time the baker was in Hoboken, Buddy shared a photo of the outside of the family’s iconic bakery with his more than two million Instagram followers on June 24 as they prepared for Mama Mary’s funeral.
The image showed the words “#1 Grandma” and “Mama Mary” spelled out in flowers outside the Carlo’s Bakery shop front while a replica of the Cake Boss bakery windows and door was also made into a floral arraignment in memory of the mother of five.
The Cake Boss baker has stayed silent on social media ever since as he continues to mourn, only posting an image of himself and his sister, Grace, who also appears in the series, on June 30 in celebration of her birthday.
“Thank you for everything you do and for always being there!” he captioned the photo of himself and his eldest sister. “Think a little ice cream cake this weekend won’t hurt. I love you.”
Leave your messages of condolence for the Cake Boss star and his family below.
[Featured Image by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images]