Food Network has always been famous for making celebrities out of foodies and chefs, such as restaurateur Guy Fieri. The network has also produced shows that revolve around cake, pastry, and all things sweet. This is essentially where pastry chefs like Duff Goldman and Buddy Valastro come in and at some point, Food Network thought it would be fun to pit the two cake masters against one another. The result is Buddy vs. Duff, which has become one of the top shows on Food Network today. And because the competition between Goldman and Valastro has been fierce, many wonder what the relationship is like between the two stars behind the scenes.
They Only Met Once Prior To Doing The Show
As it turns out, Valastro and Goldman don’t cross paths often, even if they appear to be in the same social circle. But then again, that may be because their shows don’t film near each other. Goldman’s Ace of Cakes revolves around his cake shop in Baltimore, Maryland. Meanwhile, Valastro’s Cake Boss typically films around New York and New Jersey.
That said, Goldman and Duff had met once prior to starring in Buddy vs. Duff. “We'd only met one time before, way back when we were both doing our first-ever Food Network cooking competition,” Goldman revealed while speaking with TV Insider. He also later told Delish that the two of them “never even hung out.”
Interestingly, Duffman also recalled that there was “some good-natured smack talk” between the two. Goldman said it was because Valastro brought sheeter and “weird robot that cooked his pastry cream.” Goldman told Valastro, “You had to bring along R2-D2? Couldn't beat me on your own!”
Since then, it seems both men have been focused on starring on their own shows and growing their baked goods empires. But then, the Food Network decided to bring them together once more. After all, what’s more, fun to watch than two pastry masters battling it out for the ultimate title?
There Were Signs Of Tension Onscreen
So far, Buddy vs. Duff has already run for two seasons. And from the beginning, it looked like the competition was seriously heating up. The first round was especially intense since both chefs had to make their signature family dessert and present it to the judges. Goldman had made an apple strudel, which judge Sherry Yard found to be “a touch too tart.” Meanwhile, Valastro made his signature lobster tail, which Sherry thought was “a little on the sweet side.”
Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for things to get more intense between the two after both chefs were asked to make a cake to celebrate the 50th birthday of Richard Rawlings, the star of Fast N’ Loud. In the end, Goldman’s Lowrider cake took the win while Valastro angrily stormed off the set.
From there, the competition got more heated. Across two seasons, the chefs battled it out when it came to carnival treats, Bollywood sweets, pies, wedding cakes, doughnuts, and more. Meanwhile, Goldman and Valastro teams were also asked to make celebration cakes in honor of Star Wars and the hit Broadway musical Waitress.
Aside from the two stars, Goldman and Valastro’s own team members didn’t hesitate to engage in a little smack talk too. Valastro’s team included Mauro Castano and Ralph Attanasia while Goldman’s crew featured Natalie Sideserf and Geof Manthorne among others. That said, the team members did more work and less banter overall.
Behind The Scenes, Do They Get Along?
Some may find it hard to imagine Goldman and Valastro sharing a laugh when the cameras aren’t rolling. But that seems to be the case. In fact, it seems the men even enjoyed working on the show, despite all the difficult cake challenges. “It really was grueling,” Valastro admitted while speaking with Delish. “But I think the whole show was fun. I think it’s going to be a treat for viewers.” Meanwhile, Goldman explained, “You’re not just seeing a competition, you’re also seeing the process of how two very skilled, but very different people do something.”
At the same time, it is also worth noting that the two men are more than happy to sing praises to each other. In fact, Valastro remarked, “I would say [Duff’s] biggest strength is his attention to detail.” Meanwhile, Goldman said, “Buddy’s a really good baker. Where he is absolutely better than me is speed and time management. My bakery makes five, maybe 10 cakes in a week. He makes 10,000 cakes in an hour.”
Admittedly, these pastry chefs barely knew each other, especially when they started filming the show during its first season. But it appears that they’ve had some time to hang out behind the scenes. Valastro himself said, “I think throughout the filming of the show and stuff, we became good friends!” Now, fans may be wondering if the two chefs will do crossovers episodes of their shows in the future. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. For now, here’s hoping that Buddy vs. Duff would have a season three.