The name Buddy Valastro rings a loud bell in the American culinary industry and the person behind that name is a highly respected man who has carved a niche for himself as a cake baker. He is now widely regarded as the ‘king of cakes’, considering his dexterity in handling everything concerning the creation and decorations of cakes. He is also the star of the reality show, Cake Boss, which focuses on him and his family members going about their business, baking cakes and relating with each. However, even though his fans (and many others) have a fair knowledge of him, they cannot say same about other members of his family, including his sisters – even though their faces are also popular on the show.
The interesting thing about Buddy Valastro is the deep connection he shares with his family. As a matter of fact, his cake shop called Carlo’s Bake Shop is collectively run by the family. His sisters and his cousins are all involved in the running of the business and, of course, they all feature in the Cake Boss reality TV show which shows them running their cake-baking business while upholding the values of family relationships. So, who are Buddy Valastro’s sisters as well the other family members everyone has been talking about? Let’s find out.
Who Are ‘Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro’s Sisters?
Today, Buddy Valastro is fondly called ‘Cake Boss’ by many fans and this is mainly in recognition of his stunning ability to produce amazing cake decorations as well as his appearances on the TV show, Cake Boss, in which he stars. However, what people don’t know is that his fame was built over the years with support from his family including his sisters and mother.
Buddy Valastro, whose real name is Bartolo Valastro Jr., was born on March 3, 1977, to Buddy Valastro Sr., and Mary W. Tubito in Hoboken, New Jersey, in the United States. Of Italian descent, he was brought up alongside four sisters, all of whom he is very fond of. Their father happens to be an Italian who migrated to America at a young age just as their mother who was also born in Italy and moved to America with her parents as a child.
Here is a look at all his sisters:
1. Grace Faugno
Grace is the oldest sister of the celebrated chef. She was born in 1966 and just as Buddy’s other sisters, she has also contributed immensely to the growth of her family’s baking business. Unsurprisingly, she is married to someone who is not far from the business, Joey Faugno who is the head baker of the shop. The two are blessed with two kids; Robert and Bartolina.
2. Maddalena Castano
Born on August 15, 1967, Maddalena is the next in line of Buddy Valastro’s Sisters. She takes charge of managing the shop’s front counter. She is also a married woman who tied the knot in 1991 to Mauro Castano who works in the family business as a pastry chef and Buddy’s right-hand man. The couple has three kids; Dominique, Bartolo “Buddy”, and Mary.
3. Mary Sciarrone
She was born on September 30, 1969, as the third oldest sister of the Cake Boss. She is also a part of Carlo’s Bakery as a consultant. She is one of the most controversial cast members of the reality TV Show. Mary is married to Joe Sciarrone with whom she has been blessed with two children; Joseph and Lucia.
4. Lisa Gonzalez
The youngest of Buddy Valastro’s Sisters, Lisa happens to be the not so popular member of the family. She was born on born December 31, 1974, and manages the storefront as well as billing from time to time. She was previously married to Remigio Gonzalez who is better known as Remy. He was also on the show before he left after he was arrested for sexual assault.
Other Facts About Buddy Valastro’s Sisters
1. Just as Buddy, his four sisters have spent almost their entire lives working in the family business.
2. All the husbands of Buddy’s sisters have worked with the family business except for Joseph Sciarrone Sr. who works as a certified health expert.
3. Although he is very close to all his sisters, Buddy had once had his sister, Mary fired from the show. As previously mentioned, Mary is very controversial and it was this fact that forced her brother to get her fired after the two got into a shouting match which was caused by her rude treatment of employees.
4. The Valastro sisters all have successful marriages except for Lisa who is divorced. She was married to the aforementioned Remy Gonzalez who exited from the show rather suddenly. It later emerged that he sexually assaulted a girl of 13 for which he was arrested in 2010 and in 2011, he pled guilty. He was slapped with a 9-years jail term, after which he will be deported to his home country, Mexico.
5. Although he is the head of the family business, all Buddy Valastro’s sisters are older than him.
Who Are His Other Family Members?
Apart from Buddy Valastro’s sisters, he has other family members who are involved in the business. His mother was a part of the business for many years until 2010 when she announced her retirement. Nonetheless, her face did not completely disappear from the show until 2017 when she passed away.
Other family members include Frank Amato, Jr. who happens to be Buddy Valastro’s first cousin. He works as a cake decorator at Carlo’s Bake Shop. Beyond just the immediate family, Buddy’s in-laws are also involved in the running of the shop.
Another person who works at the shop is Danny Dragone who happens to have been a long-time close family friend. In fact, according to sources, Danny has been working at the bakery even before Buddy was born.
Read Also: 5 Untold Facts About Cake Boss’ Family Owned Carlo’s Bakery And Its TV Show
How Did He Become Famous?
Carlo’s Bake Shop which today has grown into a family business and has made Buddy famous did not start with him. It began with his father who moved to America with no penny but determined to make things work. He kept toiling and doing different jobs that kept him moving until he eventually managed to buy a bakery called Carlo’s Bake Shop.
Carlo’s Bake Shop grew big and soon, Buddy Valastro was brought in by his father to learn the business even before he was a teenager. Buddy had always wanted to be a baker, obviously because he grew up seeing it as part of the lives of his parents.
Buddy started as a dishwasher because his father wanted him to learn everything about the business from the bottom to the top. He eventually grew to become a baker himself. When he turned 17 years old, Buddy’s father passed away and he was left to run the family business. Consequently, he dropped out of school to concentrate on the cake shop. This was when he brought his sisters into the business.
He would later take things further by bringing in the concept of Cake Boss TV show – together with his sisters. The show airs on TV based on the activities of Carlo’s Bake Shop, focusing on the relationship between Buddy, his sisters, other members of their family, and employees of the company as well as how the shop makes its art cakes.
The unending surprises that the show brings to customers and the creativity has been the main thing that made Buddy Valastro’s sisters, the Cake Boss himself, and his family famous even though there have been claims that some aspects of the show are not real.Â
