The One Fast Food Restaurant Buddy Valastro Can't Get Enough Of
Celebrity baker Buddy Valastro found fame from his time on TLC with the hit reality show "Cake Boss," which detailed the ins and outs of his busy family-run bakery. Per Carlo's Bake Shop, the celebrity baker is known for his emphasis on family and has followed his dream of turning his dad's baking business into a household name. Carlo's Bake Shop now serves as one of the top places to go in Hoboken and has a cult following of fans around the nation. According to an interview Valastro did with Buffalo Spree, the baker was once making over 270 different cakes every week due to high demand, not to mention all the other pastries and sweets.
Still, the longtime baker's life involves much more than cakes and cannolis. Sure, you might know him best as the "Cake Boss," but Valastro doesn't just thrive in the sweet department. He also has his own Italian-American restaurant, Buddy V's, located in Las Vegas, and notes that food has always been at the center of his life just as much as baking has. Speaking further on the impact of food in his life, the star weighs in on his favorite fast food joint.
Buddy Valastro's favorite place for a quick bite
While it may seem the chef would turn to fine dining and decadent pastries for his palate, according to the Rachael Ray Show, Buddy Valastro is partial to Wendy's. As he said in an interview with Mashed, he is especially a fan of the chain's spicy chicken sandwich. While he gave a nod to other chicken chains like Popeyes and Chick-fil-A for their chicken sandwiches, and McDonald's and Burger King for its burgers, Valastro still remains a big fan of Wendy's. But, as he says, at the end of the day, he's not going to be very picky. "I'm a pretty easy guy. Being a dad of kids that are teenagers, there is always fast food in my house, so I'm always stealing a french fry or two," he said.
According to Wendy's website, the chain's spicy chicken comes breaded full of spices and peppers and also comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise to help ease some of the heat. Coming in at 400 calories, it's a bit of a better choice in terms of calories, compared to competitors like Popeye's, whose spicy chicken sandwich comes in at 700 calories.
Other celeb chefs weigh in on their go-to food spots
Buddy Valastro is far from the only celebrity chef with a fast food preference. According to the Rachael Ray Show, one fellow Wendy's fan is accomplished Israeli chef Mike Solomonov, a five-time James Beard award winner including for best chef (per Zahav). Clearly, Wendy's has something good cooking.
"Top Chef" star Richard Blais shared in an interview with Mashed that his favorite place to grab a quick bite is Chipotle. While the celebrity chef actually got his start behind the grill at a McDonald's, he says Chipotle's menu and business model are especially appetizing. Chef Blais also paid an honorable mention to Florida-based chain Pollo Tropical as another go-to favorite, which is a joint that serves up Caribbean-inspired fare from flavorful rice bowls to plantains.
Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern is partial to the Popeye's chicken sandwich, per an interview with Mashed, calling it "really, really yummy." So professional chef or not, everyone craves a classic drive-thru meal for lunch sometimes.