Carlo's Bake Shop
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bakery |
| Founded | 1910 |
| Founder | Carlo Guastaferro |
| Headquarters | Hoboken , United States |
Key people | Buddy Valastro Jr. |
| Products | Baked goods, custom cakes |
| Website | www |
Carlo's Bake Shop, also referred to as Carlo's Bakery or Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop, is a bakery located in Hoboken, New Jersey and owned by Buddy Valastro. It became widely recognized as the primary location featured in the TLC television series Cake Boss.
History
Established in 1910 by Italian pastry chef Carlo Guastaferro, the bakery was purchased in 1964 by Bartolo "Buddy" Valastro Sr. Currently, the enterprise is managed by Buddy Valastro Jr., with assistance from family members. The bakery rose to national prominence following the 2009 debut of Cake Boss, which highlighted its specialty custom cakes and elevated its reputation as both a tourist attraction and a significant Hoboken landmark.
Building on this momentum, Carlo's Bakery enhanced its production capabilities by opening a new facility at Lackawanna Center in Jersey City. This expansion allowed for increased output and enabled shipping baked goods across the country, overcoming previous limitations due to restricted space at the original Hoboken site. Additionally, the bakery ventured into online sales starting in 2009.
The inaugural franchise, Cake Boss Cafe, launched in May 2011 at Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York City, featuring smaller pastries and branded merchandise. Subsequent growth included full-service outlets established in Ridgewood (2013), Westfield (2013), Red Bank (2013), Morristown (2014), and The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas (2014), marking the brand’s initial presence on the West Coast.
Expansion persisted with new locations at The Florida Mall in Orlando (2015), Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, NJ (2016), and an international branch in São Paulo, Brazil, overseen by Rick Zavala, winner of RecordTV's Batalha dos Confeiteiros (2016).
Some locations were closed as part of strategic adjustments: the Red Bank store ceased operations in 2018 due to lease expiration and plans to introduce a different dining concept; both Morristown and Ridgewood stores closed early in 2019. Despite these closures, Carlo's Bakery continues to operate multiple sites throughout New Jersey and leverages its television fame to sustain business expansion and influence within the market.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Bakeries of New Jersey
- Buildings and structures in Hoboken, New Jersey
- Cake Boss
- Companies based in Hudson County, New Jersey
- American companies established in 1910
- Food and drink companies established in 1910
- Retail companies established in 1910
- 4
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment