The Cake Boss Heads to Bedford

Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro visits Prince Street Cafe in Bedford. Photo provided

Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro, owner of the famous Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey, is heading to Bedford for his newest reality series, Buddy’s Bakery Rescue. TLC’s latest Cake Boss spinoff, formerly titled Bakery Boss, is very much in the vein of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, where Valastro roams the country, offering advice and expertise for struggling businesses.

On the Buddy’s Bakery Rescue—which airs on August 5 at 9p.m.—Valastro visits Prince Street Café and Bakery in Bedford, run by third generation baker Dana Gallo Strayton.

“Immediately [upon walking in] I noticed there was huge focus on the café side of the place,” says Valstro. “From the window decals to the menu, it was all about the savory options. I almost forgot it was a bakery! For both sides of the business to succeed, the focus had to shift to be a little more even.”

Strayton’s grandfather, John “Costantino” Plescia, owned Prince Pastry Shop in Boston’s North End and her father, John Gallo, owned Luigi’s Restaurant on Broad Street in Boston. But despite her long family lineage in the restaurant industry, Valastro found the shop lacking in “taste and consistency.”

“The recipes themselves were solid, they just needed a little updating in terms of execution and quality ingredients,” Valastro says. “Honestly, there were inconsistencies across the board with the pastries and you have to be consistent with your product. That’s how you grow a loyal customer base. The good news was the café food was great. I know they’re gonna turn things around for the better. Soon enough the bakery will feel like it did in the old days when her grandfather was running the joint.”