Buddy Valastro is always baking up something special.

Whether you know him as Cake Boss or just Buddy, chef Buddy Valastro has earned a pretty sweet reputation. The owner of the 106-year-old, family-run Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, became an overnight hit in 2009 with the premiere of his reality show Cake Boss on TLC, which documented the day-to-day operations of Carlo’s and followed Valastro and his wild family as they constructed some of the world’s most ambitious cakes for a series of equally-ambitious clients.

What followed was another three television shows—The Next Great Baker in 2010, Kitchen Boss in 2011, and Buddy’s Bakery Rescue in 2013—a full line of bakeware, and additional Carlo’s Bakery locations, including spots in Times Square, Las Vegas and right here in Orlando. We spoke with Valastro to find out the keys to his family’s success, how he maintains their integrity amidst ever-changing trends as well as how he approaches growing the brand.

ORLANDO FAMILY MAGAZINE: Your family bakery went from being a local legend to an international hit in the course of a few years. What has the experience been like for you and your family?

BUDDY VALASTRO: These last few years have really been an incredible journey. For a lot of reasons, we expanded the bakery outside of Hoboken for the first time, we’re shipping nationally, Cake Boss is shown in over 180 countries worldwide. It’s just amazing. To me it’s so important to reach my fans and all of these things have let me do that.

OFM: How do you balance all of the new components of your family’s business?

BV: You know, we juggle a lot, but the whole family is used to being busy, so it’s just a matter of working together to get everything done.

OFM: With so many locations in different areas, what’s your key to maintaining the quality that has made you so renowned?

BV: Quality is extremely important to me. I’m a very hands-on person, so I make sure that every bakery is meeting high standards. I want my fans to be able to visit any of our locations and get the best quality product.

OFM: How do you approach the ever-changing “foodie” trends out today in such a traditional bakery setting as Carlo’s?

BV: I definitely stay on top of the trends, especially with cake design. A lot of brides will come in wanting what’s “in” now for their wedding cake and my team makes sure they are on top of it. The thing is you have to stay current, while being true to yourself, so we’ll introduce new items here and there, but we also keep doing what we do best with our signature items like the lobster tail and cannoli.

OFM: What is the must-have dessert first-timers should try when they visit?

BV: Hands down, the lobster tail.

OFM: Your show made you a legend for some seriously over-the-top cake designs. How creative do you like to get in the kitchen?

BV: What’s great about Carlo’s Bakery is we’ll make you any cake you want. You want a cake that moves, jumps, and lights up—we can do that, but if you want a single-tier buttercream cake for a birthday party, we can do that too.

OFM: First there were cupcakes, now doughnuts: Where do you see the next big trend in baking going?

BV: The cronut really launched this whole trend in pastry mash-ups and I think there’s still a lot more to explore here. This trend will be around for a while.

Published and copyrighted in Orlando Family Magazine (November 2016).