Buddy Valastro, star of Cake Boss and owner of Carlo’s Bakery, just turned 42-years-old. He was recently feted by his wife, Lisa, with the most outrageous birthday cake to honor his special day.
The couple shares a special birthday tradition wherein Lisa and the couple’s children assist in making their father his own special treat — without any assistance from the professional cake baker and decorator. It appears that after almost 20 years of marriage, she has learned a thing or two from her husband when it comes to over-the-top decorating.
He noted in the caption of one of the birthday photos, “[I] love this tradition and I really love this woman.”
The father of four children — Marco, Carlo, Sofia, and Buddy Jr. — shared the process on his Instagram Story. He included photos of the final cake, as well. It was a three-tiered confection, one decorated with tons of sprinkles, mini donuts, and cookies.
Delish published a story about the couple’s love affair back in 2017. The two met through family. Lisa’s best friend was Buddy’s second cousin — and his neighbor, too, when they were children. When Buddy and Lisa Valastro were 19 and 22 respectively, they began to date.
The couple weathered late nights where Valastro would remain at the bakery he inherited from his father — Bartolo Valastro, Sr. — in Hoboken, New Jersey. The younger Valastro would see reality show stardom when Cake Boss began to air on TLC. Fans got an intimate look at the inner workings of bakery life, and also got to see the personal drama pertaining to Buddy and his extended family.
Buddy Valastro was just 6 years old when he first went to work with his father, per Mashed . Buddy Sr. did not want his son to become a baker, but relented once he saw just how quickly Buddy picked up on the techniques and skills needed to run the business. Buddy dropped out of high school — at the age of 17 — to take over the bakery when his father died in 1994.
Valastro got his big break when a Jersey-based editor from Modern Bride walked by Carlo’s Bakery and noticed his cakes, according to Delish . She featured him in the publication, and that led to being noticed by TLC. The rest is reality TV history.
The one thing that fame has not done to the Valastro’s is damage the closeness that the couple shares. In an interview with TLC , Lisa Valastro said there is one downside to having a husband that appears on television. “Well, there are pros and cons! It’s exciting, but basically, I have to share him with millions of people.”
Reruns of Cake Boss air on TLC and Discovery Family. He is also one of the stars of Buddy vs. Duff , which pits him against master baker Duff Goldman. The show debuts March 10 on The Food Network.