Delicious Weekend Part Two: "Cake Boss"

Who doesn't like cake?

The Story:

Welcome to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken New Jersey.  It's a bakery that is owned and run by Buddy Valastro, and his family, either by blood or by virtue of being employed there.  Aside from being a bakery that sells goodies by the tons, Buddy has developed a knack for being the go-to-guy for making big, elaborate cakes for events.

This is their story.

The Learning Channel brought Buddy to fame in 2009.

Naturally, I didn't catch onto the craze until last year when I stumbled upon Cake Boss streaming on Netflix.

Of course, this show is a perfect one for binge watching.

You'd think it would get old watching the crew make cakes, but 6 seasons (and counting) and I'm not there yet.

Balanced out throughout the episodes are the lives of his family, all of whom work in the bakery, and as Buddy is the only son and has 3 sisters, you can imagine that the ladies make his life miserable, just be virtue of being his sisters.

Thankfully, many of their husbands work at the bakery, so  Buddy's got some sympathetic ears in Joey and Mauro to help him keep the ladies at bay.

Many reality stars get under my skin as annoying fakes, but so far, at least to me, Buddy and his family seem genuine.  There hasn't been much that has changed, personality-wise, since the beginning of the show until now.  If anything, the crew has grown closer together.

The biggest change was Buddy's expansion of the bakery,  and it's been interesting to see him move to a larger space to provide their wares on a larger scale, but refusing to lose the personal touch.

That's the American dream, or at least that's how I see it, and it's always sweet to see how Buddy is doing this, all the while hoping his Pops would approve.

And yes, as you watch the show, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll get just as aggravated with some of the characters as Buddy does.

But you keep watching, because you care.

You're now part of Buddy's family, at least in your own small way.

All seasons ready to stream, and with most running at 21 minutes, you can fly through these fairly easily.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: As long as they're streaming, I don't have to purchase. : )  Thanks Netflix!