Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro and his Carlo’s Bakery staff are making some big changes following the death of his mother last month.
After taking a social media hiatus after announcing that his mom, affectionately known as Mama Mary, had lost her battle with ALS on June 22, Valastro made his triumphant return to Instagram on July 23 to announce some big changes.
All in the name of charity, Valastro revealed that his fellow Cake Boss star Danny Dragone, who features heavily on the TLC series, had offered to make a huge change to his appearance and would be shaving off his moustache in order to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, likely in the memory of his late co-worker.
Buddy posted a video to his official Instagram account from the family’s Lackawanna cake facility in New Jersey in which he revealed their big plans to raise funds, marking the first time the baker had posted on the site since sharing a photo from his mother’s funeral , aside from a birthday post for his older sister, Grace, last month.
Valastro revealed that his fellow baker would be shaving off his 30-year-old mustache if fans could raise $25,000 before August 9 which would then be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a charity that grants wishes for terminally ill children.
“If you can help us raise $25,000 by August 9th, @cakebossralph and I are going to shave @dannythemule and let that upper lip of his get a little sunshine, baby!” he captioned the clip of himself, Danny and Carlo’s Bakery sculptor Ralph. “I MUSTACHE you to head to wish.org/DannyShaves or click the link in my bio to make a donation.”
The Cake Boss star appeared to be in good spirits in the video, which marked one of the first times the reality star has been spotted since the death of his mother last month.
But while he’s been staying under the radar as he mourns his mom, Buddy and his the Cake Boss gang’s charity efforts come just days after the baker admitted that he actually hasn’t been back to his family’s flagship bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, since his mother passed away.
“I haven’t been back to Hoboken since she died and I know that when I go there, I’ll definitely break down,” Buddy said in a candid interview with People last week, admitting that the location just has too many memories of his late mother, who was 69-years-old when she died.
“That place has got so much history and that was my mom’s spot, that was her store,” he added of the Hoboken flagship store which has been heavily featured on the TLC series Cake Boss since the show began in 2009 and was originally bought by the Valastro matriarch with her late husband Buddy Valastro Sr., Buddy’s dad who passed away in 1994.
The reality star then vowed to continue on with the family’s thriving business and expand even further beyond the existing Carlo’s Bakery locations in New Jersey, New York, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Connecticut, Texas, and even Brazil.
“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 revealed of what Mama Mary’s wishes would be for the popular Cake Boss franchise. “There’s not even a doubt in my mind.”
Buddy also told the site that the footage of his mother captured by Cake Boss cameras over the past eight years is what will keep her memory alive after her death.
[Featured Image by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]