Reality Television, "Hoboken Style"

Hello readers and happy Thursday! For today's "Scenes from the Screen" story we are visiting Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ, the setting of Cake Boss. Congratulations if you saw the hint on Instagram and figured it out! Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic I have not been going on any adventures lately so, for now, most of my stories are going to be from old trips. It's been a lot of fun looking through my photos and archives from years past though! I visited Hoboken and Carlo's Bakery back in 2015.

The Scene:

Owned and operated by the Valastro family, Carlo's Bakery has been open for business in Hoboken, NJ since 1910. The bakery is known not only for their spectacular, over-the-top cakes, but also for their traditional Italian-style pastries and desserts. The shop may look small from the outside, but it actually holds 100,000 square feet of retail and culinary space.

The Screen:

Cake Boss aired in April of 2009 and is still going strong today. The reality television show originally aired on TLC, but is now carried by Discovery Family. Fourth-generation baker Buddy Valastro, his family members, and their entertaining employees drive the episodes as we watch their daily lives: running their family-owned bakery, making their delicious desserts and pastries, and designing elaborate cakes for special events. The show has been extremely successful and has led to many spin-offs, specials, and Buddy-hosted series' such as Buddy vs. Duff, Kitchen Boss, and Big Time Bake.

The exterior and interior of Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken is shown often during Cake Boss episodes; we see customers at the counters, Valastro family members and fellow employees working behind the register and answering the phones, and Buddy with his bakers and sculptors in the kitchens creating delicious works of art. Carlo's Bakery now has other locations in addition to the original Hoboken shop (NYC, CT, NJ, PA) and they are sometimes featured in episodes as well.

For those not familiar with the Hoboken area, it's worth noting that Carlo's Bakery is about 4 minutes from the Hoboken Ferry. If you want to extend your adventure, you can take the ferry to New York City and visit spots like The Battery, the 9/11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island.

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, restaurants and tourist attractions have new rules and regulations. Be sure to check the website of any Carlo's Bakery location or attraction in the New York City/New Jersey area before visiting to read their guidelines and updated hours of operation. Additionally, I will be providing links to the websites of everything I mentioned below.

Thank you for tuning in for the second "Scenes from the Screen" story. I hope you'll join me again next Thursday for another, and Monday for the Mac Weekly Highlight. As usual, a hint will be going up on Instagram so be on the lookout!

Until next time,

~Claire