Westbury is the new home and first Long Island location of the renowned Carlo’s Bakery shop, and the spot was hand-picked by none other than the “Cake Boss” himself.
“I couldn’t have thought of a better place than this. It is in a central location on Long Island and the main hub in Nassau County,” explained Buddy Valastro, otherwise known as the Cake Boss. “A lot of Long Islanders come to our bakery in New Jersey, so we thought why not come to them.”
Long Islanders proved him right, turning out in droves at a grand opening of Carlo’s Bakery held on Saturday, May 9. Fans and cake lovers waited hours for a chance to meet the famed baker and taste an array of sweet treats, such as pastries, cookies and of course the grandiose cakes made famous on the hit TLC series Cake Boss.
“Hello, everyone, we’re happy to be here,” he greeted the cheering crowd at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held just before opening the bakery doors to the public. One by one patrons, who waited in the rain for hours, happily entered the store.
First in line was a young couple and their baby girl, who arrived around 8 a.m., four hours before the scheduled opening. “It was worth the wait. We bought strawberry shortcake, red velvet cake and cookies,” said Brian Gabel of Floral Park. “We met the Cake Boss before, but we are so excited he opened up on Long Island,” added Jackie Gabel.
Local officials were also on hand to present Valastro with two business citations, one from the Town of Hempstead, the other from the Nassau County Executive’s office.
The opening of the new bakery at the Gallery at Westbury Plaza makes this the ninth location for Carlo’s Bakery shops. The first, in Hoboken, NJ, is where Valastro learned his trade first hand from his father.
That’s when the bright-eyed young Valastro donned a bakery apron for the very first time. “I was 11 years-old when my dad started to teach me everyt
hing he knows,” Valastro happily reminisced. “He taught me all the traditional ways of baking and now I’m teaching my children the same way.”
His son Buddy Junior, who happens to be the same age that Buddy Senior was when he started baking, assisted in preparing baked goods for the grand opening. “He helped make the strawberry shortcakes,” Valastro proudly proclaimed. The father of four also had his other children on hand to help.
That sense of family pride steeped in a deeply held baking tradition continues with the opening of each Carlo’s Bakery. “We always want to put our old world twist on what we do,” he explained.
With all of his continued success Valastro had a warm greeting for each customer he met and remains humble. “I am floored by the warm response and the 
community coming out showing me the love. We love being here on Long Island,” he said.
The day-to-day operations at Carlo’s Bakery Westbury, located at 900 Old Country Rd., will be run by Chad Durkin, a contestant on season three of Valastro’s other hit TLC series The Next Great Baker.
Don’t be surprised though, if when you drop by the bakery you see the Cake Boss himself.
“I really work with the staff and mentor them at all of my locations,” said Valastro. “I have my dad’s work ethic, I’m really hands on.”
Find out more about Carlo’s Bakery at www.carlosbakery.com.
