Saturday, March 19, 2016, was a very important day for dessert lovers across the midwest United States. Carlo's Bakery, the family-owned pastry shop made famous by TLC's hit show "Cake Boss," opened a new location in Dallas' very own Preston Center, attracting huge crowds of fans and foodies.
If you are unfamiliar with the work of Buddy Valastro (the so-called "Cake Boss") and his team of expert bakers, then you might want to go watch the show because watching people make giant cakes is surprisingly satisfying.
Yes, those are all actual cakes.
I have a weakness for all things sweet and a roommate who is a fan of "Cake Boss," so I stopped by the bakery's grand opening on the 19th with some friends. It was massive. The line to enter the shop wrapped around the entire block, police cars circled the building to regulate the flow of traffic, and every few minutes, groups of devoted "Cake Boss" fans would begin chanting Valastro's name. My friends and I quickly realized that we weren't getting into the bakery on that day and left to get lunch, vowing to return another time. As we walked past the giant line to cross the street, we passed people who were sitting in folding chairs and decided to ask them how long they'd been waiting to get into the famous bakery.
"We've been out here for about six hours," a pair of students about halfway through the line told us. "We don't know what we want to order yet, but we're really excited to see Buddy in person."
Meeting Valastro seemed to be a common goal amongst the people who were in line. "People have camped out since 3:00 in the afternoon yesterday to see Buddy," a Carlo's Bakery employee informed us. "People are definitely excited because of the TV show. Buddy has a lot of great fans. It's fantastic."
Many of the fans waiting in line were there with their families. "We've been here since 7:30 in the morning," said one woman who was waiting with her daughter and granddaughter. "It's 3:00 now and we're still excited."
"My husband and kids started watching years ago," the woman's daughter added as her 11-year-old nodded fervently in agreement. "He got us all T-shirts when he visited their shop in New Jersey. It's definitely a family affair."
One group even confirmed that they had driven for 15 hours all the way from Arizona to be at the opening.
"They are making what is probably a 40-hour commitment to Buddy, when it's all said and done," mentioned a woman in line next to the group. "15 hours both ways and a 10 hour wait at least. We drove 25 minutes and thought that that was a lot."
"I was tricked," her son added. He laughed and put his arm around his mother, explaining, "[My mom] woke me up and said, 'we are going to go see the Cake Boss that comes on TV, it shouldn't be long. You can wait in the car.' And now, here I am, hours later."
It was clear that all of the groups of fans who showed up to the grand opening were both devoted and close-knit. According to the Carlo's employee, the massive crowds were a result of the show's family-friendly nature.
"Today has been a sort of controlled chaos," she told us. "Very fast-paced and very fun. It's no wonder that everyone wants to see the family, they're such a great family. Just beautiful inside and out."
In addition to meeting the family behind the famous cakes, fans were eager to try the gourmet pastries that the bakery offers. Cupcakes, cheesecakes, canolis, and salted caramel croissants called "lobster tails" were among the crowd favorites.
"It was everything I had hoped it would be," said one satisfied customer as she exited the shop. "My whole family just loves Carlo's. I'm thrilled that Buddy and his team have finally come to Texas."
Even though my friends and I didn't get to go inside Dallas' latest bakery, we were delighted to see that Carlo's maintained such a family-friendly atmosphere throughout its commercial success. I have no doubt that we will be visiting the shop in the near future. After all, if there's one thing that college students love, it's good food and good company. I am pleased to say that Carlo's Bakery has both.
