What Happened To The Original Cast Of Cake Boss?
Bartolo Valastro Jr., better known as Buddy, is the undeniable lead of the popular reality television show "Cake Boss," which launched on cable network TLC in April 2009. But the show's cast extends beyond Valastro to family, in-laws, delivery drivers, and more. It takes a lot of people to run this beloved Hoboken, New Jersey bakery!
Carlo's Bake Shop was opened in 1910 by Carlo Guastaferro. In 1964, the business was acquired by Buddy Valastro's father, Bartolo Valastro Sr. Carlo's Bakery, which immediately became the Valastros' family business. When Valastro Sr. passed away in 1994, his family kept the bakery going and made it prosper. Few people today haven't at least heard of the Cake Boss.
When the heart and soul of a TV show is a large, outgoing family that works very hard at maintaining its legacy, it's easy to become attached to the members. And they aren't fictional characters. They don't only exist within the confines of the show and its spinoffs. When the cameras turn off, the people continue living their lives. Some come back in future seasons of the show, while others move on.
So, what is the original cast of Cake Boss up to now? Read on to find out.
Bartolo Buddy Valastro Jr.
Not only did Buddy Valastro inherit Carlo's Bake Shop from his parents, but he is a fourth-generation baker. Baking is in his blood. While still young, he showed an affinity for cake decorating. When his father, Bartolo Valastro Sr., passed away when Buddy was only 17, he was ready to take on the challenge of operating the bakery. With the support of his large family, of course. He now has children of his own with his wife, Lisa.
Valastro has earned great success outside of Carlo's. In addition to the TV show "Cake Boss," he has also been featured in "Next Great Baker," "Kitchen Boss," "Buddy's Bakery Rescue," "Bake You Rich," "Bakery Boss," "Buddy vs. Duff," "Buddy vs. Christmas," and more. He is also the author of several successful books.
After Valastro's mother, Mary Valastro, passed away in 2017, "Cake Boss" went on a two-year hiatus. It was difficult for Valastro to return to a place that was so closely associated with his beloved mother. But he persevered and continued on as he knew she would want.
This includes fighting through a grueling recovery after an at-home accident that badly damaged his dominant hand's nerves, muscles, and tendons on September 20, 2020. He endured multiple surgeries and physical therapy. Three years later, Valastro's comeback includes two new shows on the A&E network, "Buddy Valastro's Cake Dynasty" and "Legends of the Fork."
Mauro Castano
Buddy Valastro's brother-in-law, Mauro Castano, is married to his sister Maddalena. He was born in Italy and came to the United States when he was 12 years old in February 1976. He first started working at Carlo's Bake Shop when he was 17. Many years later, the show "Cake Boss" actually came about after Castano partnered with Valastro for a few TV baking competitions, one of which they won. The pair's distinctly Italian New Jersey attitudes caught the attention of producers.
For much of his life, Castano struggled with his weight, and he was often bullied as a child. He has a family history of heart disease, and his health worried him. During the 2015 season of "Cake Boss," Castano was rushed to the hospital after fainting. It turned out that he had a bleeding ulcer, lost two liters of blood, and had a concussion from hitting his head.
Since then, Castano has taken his health seriously and has lost over 200 pounds. He first made changes to his diet, cutting out carbohydrates and processed food and incorporating more healthy fats, such as from seafood. Along with this, Castano began routine cardio exercise and strength training. However, what really helped him shed the fat was undergoing weight loss surgery, which firmly limits the amount of food a person can ingest at a time.
Joseph Joey Faugno
The head baker at Carlo's Bake Shop, Joseph "Joey" Faugno, is another of Buddy Valestro's brothers-in-law, married to his sister, Grace, the eldest of the sisters. He and Grace have two children together. He mostly keeps to himself but has a quick temper when provoked.
Faugno is also a veteran of the Gulf War, a firefighter, and a licensed EMT, which proved critical during Buddy Valastro's accident in 2020. A piece of equipment had pierced Valastro's right hand as he tried to fix the family's in-home bowling alley. After pulling up to the Valastro home, Faugno heard Lisa Valastro, Buddy Valastro's wife, screaming for help. His instincts kicked in, and Faugno ran inside to aid his brother-in-law, who was pinned to the machine. There was blood everywhere. A saw was used to remove part of the machine to free Valastro. The injured hand was then wrapped in a towel, and Valastro was rushed to the hospital.
Frank Frankie Amato Jr.
Buddy Valastro's cousin Frank "Frankie" Amato Jr. is a cake decorator at the family bakery with an expressive face. He is also godfather to Marco, Buddy and Lisa Vallastro's son. In addition to "Cake Boss," he has appeared on "Next Great Baker" and "Buddy vs. Duff." He is also skilled with computers and numbers, making him an important person to have around in a family business.
Amato keeps a relatively low profile outside of television. Like his more famous cousin, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family in his spare time. He and his wife have two children. In early March 2022, Amato attended a New Jersey Devils hockey game with Marco Valastro, among others.
Although Amato doesn't often post to his Instagram page, if you are a fan, you should definitely follow him for an exclusive glimpse behind the scenes, especially with two new "Cake Boss" series launching in November 2023.
Danny Dragone
Born in Italy, Danny Dragone is a true fixture of Carlo's Bake Shop. Before Buddy Valastro was even born, Dragone began working at the bakery under Valastro Sr., making him a part of the family, even if he isn't related to the Valastros by blood or marriage. Rather than carrying an official title, Dragone does whatever needs to be done, whether it's baking, icing, or decorating. This versatility has earned him the nickname "the mule." One of his daughters, Tatiana, also works at the bakery.
Like Frankie Amato, Dragone also keeps a low profile. Though he is a known fan of the NFL team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, you may spot him at a game. Being such a loved and integral part of the "Cake Boss" team, it's hard to imagine any future spin-off series without him, especially when considering his impressive ability to pivot from one vital task to another.
Grace Faugno
Grace Faugno is the eldest of the Valastro siblings. She is also the wife of Carlo's Bake Shop's head baker, Joseph "Joey" Faugno. The couple has two children together. She has worked in various departments at the family bakery, most notably as the front counter manager, as a member of the decoration and special orders delivery team, and in sales.
Faugno and her husband, Joey, are big advocates of epilepsy awareness and participate in charities, such as the Anita Kaufmann Foundation, to raise funds for educational programs and seizure first aid training. Their daughter Bartolina was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 11. When she was only six months old, she was diagnosed with infantile spasms and a brain tumor, which led to a childhood filled with different seizure medications and surgeries.
Although Bartolina is doing much better these days, epilepsy awareness remains an important cause for Faugno because not many people really understand it. "A seizure can be anything," she said during one fundraiser (via Patch). "A seizure could be a laugh. A seizure could be a stomach ache. A seizure could be a smell. It could be a crooked smile, tearing in the eyes."
Maddalena Castano
Maddalena Castano is the second eldest daughter of Bartolo Sr. and Mary Valastro. She and her husband, Mauro Castano, have three children together. The Castanos were actually introduced to one another by Maddalena Castano's father. At the family-owned bakery, Castano works at the front counter rather than in the kitchen.
Castano is active on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook accounts she shares with her husband. The couple shares things they cook in their home kitchen and other behind-the-scenes family moments. During much of 2023, glimpses of the couple's new home as it was being built were shared, as well as wishing a happy birthday to members of their large family and Maddalena's shopping sprees. In October 2023, Castano partnered with Easy Spirit on its #MoveForPink campaign, donning a pair of bright pink Maxine walking shoes to help raise money for breast cancer research.
With an upbeat, open personality, Castano has a zest for life and is definitely the one to follow on social media for candid behind-the-scenes moments.
Mary Sciarrone
Buddy Valastro's sister, Mary Sciarrone, is probably most famous for being the sister who was fired from the family business. She is married and has two children. Like her sisters Grace and Maddelena, Mary worked directly with customers at the front counter. However, her abrasive and frank attitude did not go over well with the public, including viewers of "Cake Boss." At times, Sciarrone was downright rude to both bakery staff and customers. After receiving too many complaints about her behavior, her brother had to make the difficult decision to terminate her employment.
However, Sciarrone remains close to her brother and sisters and can often be seen together on social media. She also continues to support the bakery, including it in her Linktree and works as a professional cake consultant. She appeared on "Cake Boss" through 2016.
There is no doubt that Sciarrone has a bold personality, and she is definitely one to look out for in future "Cake Boss" spin-offs.
Lisa Valastro
Lisa Valastro is the youngest of the Valastro sisters and is not to be confused with her brother Buddy Valastro's wife, who also goes by Lisa. Like her sisters, she does not work in the kitchen but with customers in the front of the house. She has three children, and many fans of the show may remember her marriage to former Carlo's Bake Shop employee Remigio "Remy" Gonzalez (more on him later).
After Valastro and Gonzalez divorced in the early 2010s, she began seeing Anthony Torre in 2014. On July 4, 2021, the couple tied the knot in a beautiful beach wedding. Valastro continues to be involved in the family business and is active on social media, sharing moments with her large family as well as cooking videos. Although her husband is less than thrilled with being on camera (boy, did he join the wrong family), he also occasionally makes an appearance in his wife's videos.
Elisabetta Lisa Valastro
Buddy Valastro's wife is Elisabetta Valastro, better known as Lisa. The pair is very much still in love after over two decades of marriage. They met when they were children. Lisa's best friend was Buddy's second cousin, who was also his neighbor. Love did not blossom right away, however. It wasn't until Buddy was 22 and Lisa was 19 that they began seeing each other as more than acquaintances. The couple married in 2001, well before their "Cake Boss" days.
When Buddy suffered his hand injury in 2020, Lisa was by his side through all of the reconstructive surgeries, physical therapy, and recovery, which brought the couple even closer. Buddy told People in 2020 that "after you have an injury like this, and your wife helps you dry you out of the shower, that crosses another level."
Since the summer of 2020, Lisa Valastro and her cousin, comedian Erica Spera, have co-hosted the podcast "What's Up, Cuz?" The duo shares behind-the-scenes family moments, occasionally getting quite personal. In episode 20, Valastro opened up about living with fibrocystic breast disease. Other family members also make appearances on the podcast.
Maurizio Belgiovine
Maurizio Belgiovine has been with Carlo's Bake Shop since 2009. He is the brother of Buddy Valastro's wife, Lisa, making him Buddy's brother-in-law. In the show "Cake Boss," he was initially seen working as a delivery boy as well as a structure builder. Over the years, he has also worked his way up from internet sales to working as a project manager, and as of 2020, Belgiovine works full-time as the director of operations at the bakery. Lucky for him, he attended Rutgers Business School from 2008 to 2013, where he earned a degree in accounting.
On June 24, 2023, Belgiovine announced on social media that he had become engaged to Jessica Dellipaoli. Their wedding occurred just a few months later, on September 30, in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Naturally, the wedding cake was provided by Buddy Valastro and the whole crew at Carlo's Bake Shop. No word on where the happy couple spent their honeymoon.
Ralph Attanasia III
Ralph Attanasia III, also known as Ralphie Boy, is an incredibly skilled artist of multiple disciplines. He has earned a certificate of completion in sculpture and illustration from New Jersey's duCret Center of Art and an associate of arts degree in special effects makeup and animatronics from Douglas Education Center in Pennsylvania. All of this experience made him an ideal head of the sculpture department at Carlo's Bake Shop for 12 years.
He has been on "Cake Boss," "Buddy vs. Duff," and other Valastro-related projects. But that is not the end of his TV career. In September 2023, Attanasia appeared as a judge on the Food Network's Outrageous Pumpkins, a reality competition show in which pumpkin carvers and sculptures duke it out for a $25,000 prize. His illustrations have also been featured on YouTube Drawfee.
Fans who can't get enough of Attanasia's art must follow him on Instagram @attaboyralph, where he posts pictures of his latest creations and projects.
Mary Mama Valastro-Piccinch
The matriarch of the Valastro clan, Mary "Mama" Valastro-Piccinch, was born in Italy. She and her family immigrated to the United States when she was six years old. After marrying Bartolo Valastro Sr. in 1965, she worked in the newly purchased Carlo's Bake Shop while raising five children. Sadly, Bartolo Sr. passed away in 1994, only three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 54.
Following nearly 50 years in the business, Mama Mary announced her retirement in 2010, which was shown in the first episode of season three of "Cake Boss." She continued to occasionally appear on the show, and in 2012, it was announced that Mama Mary had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
On June 22, 2017, Mary Valastro-Piccinch passed away at 69, five years after her diagnosis. She was laid to rest with Bartolo Sr.
Remigio Remy Gonzalez
Perhaps the most notorious former "Cake Boss" cast member is Remigio "Remy" Gonzalez. Once married to Buddy Valastro's sister Lisa, Gonzalez was a top decorator for Carlo's Bake Shop and made several appearances on "Cake Boss" in the early days.
In August 2010, Gonzalez was arrested on charges of aggravated sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child and held on $300,000 bail. The following year, 15 counts were reduced to two counts of second-degree assault against a 13-year-old girl. Finally, in 2012, Gonzalez was sentenced to nine years in state prison. He was not eligible for parole for seven years, seven months.
Because he was an immigrant from Mexico, it was believed that upon his release, Gonzalez would be deported back to the country of his birth. Whether or not that was his fate upon getting out of prison could not be confirmed.
Salvatore Sal Picinich
Born on the Croatian island of Susak, Salvatore "Sal" Picinich immigrated to the United States, as did so many coworkers of his generation. He started working at Carlo's Bake Shop in 1964 alongside Bartolo Valastro Sr. Buddy Valastro regarded Picinich as a second father.
Picinich appeared throughout most of the first season of "Cake Boss," but he took a break after being diagnosed with cancer. He returned a year later to celebrate the bakery's 100th anniversary and accept the Employee of the Century Award.
Sadly, Picinich did not battle with cancer long. He died on January 30, 2011, at the age of 63. Before he passed away, Picinich enjoyed his small taste of celebrity. His wife Lucille, whom Pacinich met while working at Carlo's, shared with North Jersey, "We'd go to Applegate Farms [in Montclair, New Jersey], and all of a sudden people would say, 'Hey, there's Sal!' We went on a cruise last summer, and he was spotted on the Oasis."
Tony Tone-Tone Albanese
Openly gay Tony "Tone-Tone" Albanese first appeared on "Cake Boss" in season one as the bakery's intern. At the time, Albanese was enrolled at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) of New York City. He also has a background in illustration, which he briefly studied at New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology.
After proving himself and graduating with honors from ICE, Buddy Valastro hired Albanese full-time as both his personal assistant and general cake decorator. Albanese eventually left Carlo's to accept a position as head cake decorator for Whole Foods Market, where he was able to pursue an interest in healthier eating and baking. For several years, he showcased his artistry and offered video tutorials as The Pastryarch on YouTube.
Albanese had made several television appearances beyond "Cake Boss" as well, including The Real Housewives of New York City, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, RuPaul's Drag Race, and America's Next Top Model.
Daniella Storzillo
Talented pastry sculptor Daniella Storzillo, now Cohn, helped to create some beautiful cakes during her time at Carlo's Bake Shop. Some of her more impressive designs were a dragon boat cake, an edible jewelry stand, and the iconic Statue of Liberty in miniature.
Cohn left "Cake Boss" after the show's first two seasons to pursue a career in a very different kind of market — real estate. She has worked as a listing agent and became the director of sales at real estate development company National Resources. She also got married. Sadly, we do not know who provided the wedding cake.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cohn gave birth to her second child, making her now the proud mom of two boys. She also took advantage of the situation to broaden her skills by studying at New York City's Parsons School of Design, The New School. She continues to live in New Jersey with her family.
Anthony Cousin Anthony Bellifemine
Cousin of Buddy Valastro's wife, Lisa, Anthony "Cousin Anthony" Bellifemine, started out as a delivery employee while he was still in high school in 2007. This made him one of the youngest members of the team. Under the tutelage of Buddy Valastro and the other bakers, and with a lot of determination, Bellifemine was able to work his way up to baker. He stayed at Carlo's until 2014, leaving the bakery as middle management. He has also left New Jersey and relocated to the Greater Tampa Bay Area.
Since 2016, Bellifemine has worked as a Quality Assurance Automation Engineer with a brief stint as a part-time martial arts instructor. He is also co-founder of Tribecamp, a community management software that allows people to build an online community where they can have a private space to hold online classes, workshops, and more. The social distancing needs of the COVID-19 pandemic gave the platform focus, moving it beyond simply a place for online learning.