Buddy Valastro, celebrity chef and owner of Carlo’s Bakery, shared some of the secrets to his cake business success during a Monday, Sept. 19 session titled, “Decorating with Buddy, Master Baker of Carlo's Bakery.”

Valastro returned to IBIE on the Revent Celebrity Stage in the RBA Bakers Center to demonstrate his top tips on decorating. One popular idea Valastro has used in the past is to recapture childhood memories and embrace the energy and spirit of youth through special promotions that are designed to increase bakery repeat sales and enhance brand recognition.

For example, Valastro helped Klondike celebrate its 100th birthday in a big way earlier this year by creating a once-in-a-lifetime, 10-tier birthday cake inspired by the ice cream brand’s diverse frozen treat portfolio. The massive cake included representations of Klondike’s classic bars, sandwiches, shakes and cones.

Valastro has used his cake decorating skills in partnerships with other significant brands over the years, including TGI Friday’s and Goldbelly. All of this helps to grow his own cake brand.

One year ago, Valastro launched his own virtual brand, Buddy V’s Cake Slice, in partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts. He selected his most popular cake flavors for the new delivery-only brand. Buddy V’s Cake Slice currently features five choices: Confetti, Vanilla Rainbow, Fudge, Red Velvet and Black and White Fudge.

Cake slices are individually packaged at Carlo’s Bakery as soon as the cakes are out of the oven, cooled down and frosted, quickly frozen for shipment to ensure peak freshness and deliciousness. The cake slices are distributed to restaurants across the country and made available for online orders through the Buddy V’s Cake Slice website, third-party delivery carriers and his app.