Fan favorite and global hit, Cake Boss, first aired on the TLC Channel
on April 19, 2009, and has returned for five consecutive seasons, building to
some of the highest ratings the network had ever seen. Syndicated episodes of
the first four seasons are currently available on Netflix, and TLC’s homepage
is saturated with clips highlighting new season drama. Clearly the network has
found a hit in this off-beat show, following the daily life of a
classically-trained Italian baker and his cohorts, in Hoboken, New Jersey. But just
beneath a sweet premise of an Italian-American hero living out his American dream,
is the nagging question of gender politics, and just how much “old-school” female
subjugation is still the modus operandi, especially when mixing food and entertainment.
Catering mainly to upwardly mobile women
struggling to align themselves with a familiar cultural narrative (i.e., engagement,
wedding, baby, family), TLC’s lineup of keystone programs including What Not To Wear, Say Yes To The Dress, A
Baby Story, and 19 Kids and Counting,
has helped create a name for itself, not only as The Learning Channel, but
also –in my house, anyway- The Lady Channel. Based solely on TLC’s network
profile then, we must assume that the intended audience demographic for any one
of their programs is largely female, with ample leisure time for daytime or
afternoon programming, and an interest in culturally dictated stereotypical “female”
pursuits.
On the other hand, along with newer programs such
as Breaking Amish, Strange Sex, and Flip That House in rotation, which shift
the focus away from the domestic and instead focus on either culturally deviant
lifestyles or hands-on, “do-it-yourself-ism”, certain elements of Cake Boss’ structure seem to be reaching
out towards a unique segment of otherwise non-initiated TLC viewers: namely, straight
men.
While Bartolo “Buddy” Valasco, Jr., and his posse
of bakers based out of Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken, have built a local
reputation for churning out their old school Italian style of intricate cakes
and pastries (a decidedly un-macho affair in itself), most episodes also
include more modern and outrageous cakes in the style of Duff Goldman, network
television’s other famous “bad boy” baker, presented in a more masculine, post-modern
style. A far cry from hand-made roses and intricate lace details, these cakes
are about as literal as you can get; In season one alone, we’ve seen a zombie
cake with corn syrup “blood” oozing down the side, a firehouse cake with actual
smoke puffing out of the “windows,” and a life-size blackjack table with
spinning wheel, painstakingly painted to approximate mahogany wood and
presented with some theatrical fanfare to a bunch of “wise guys,” as
Godfather-esque music wound through the scene.
In presenting his narrative, Buddy (along
with his Cake Boss production team)
takes great pains to keep the concepts of masculine and the feminine separate;
the irony being that within the traditionally female realm of the kitchen, and
especially in dealing with sweet and pretty baked goods, a man rules the roost…
and it only fortifies his masculine identity meanwhile.
Playing up his Italian heritage for maximum effect,
we see Buddy expertly calming his four high-strung sisters and mother, dealing with
difficult customers (often female), alternately reaming out and playing
practical jokes on his male employees, and of course, exercising technical
precision in creating stunning works of edible art.
Interestingly, though Carlo’s Bake Shop seems
to employ a fleet of women as “cake decorators” (the distinction is clearly
drawn here, in contrast to the male bakers),
more screen time is paid to the colorful personalities of the few men that work
there: Mauro the number two, Hothead Joe, Danny “The Mule”, and Cousin Frankie. Their characters have been fleshed out enough
to act as Buddy’s consigliere, while the women are granted occasional group reaction
shots. Moreover, all of the male bakers wear chef’s coats and white pants -even
the delivery boy is dressed in all white- and none of the women are required to
be in uniform. In Carlo’s Bake Shop, baking is a serious business, and the
visual and social cues here reveal that women are neither taken seriously, nor
considered a real asset to the business.
While Cake
Boss itself falls more into the docu-drama category than most other food
television programming, it is interesting to consider the implications of how
food, and eating, are depicted throughout. Cakes and pastries are more than
just everyday sweet treats, but are planned and purchased to mark special
occasions, and meant to be shared among family and friends. Family is clearly
at the heart of Buddy’s food and life philosophy, and he considers his customers
and program viewers by extension, to be a part of that. Program viewers too,
being treated to an intimate behind-the-scenes look into Carlo’s Bake Shop, are
meant to feel like Buddy considers them a part of la familglia.
Assuming most of us are lacking an authentic Italian
grandmother at home to bake all of the traditional pastries from scratch, Carlo’s
Bake Shop fills a nostalgic place in our hearts, where food, family, and deep emotions
entwine. Media capitalizing on the relationship between food and feelings is
nothing new; in fact, specifically because many of the thematic motifs
presented in Cake Boss are less-than-politically-correct
(i.e., the unspoken subjugation of women), watching them play out before us on
television can be a healthy, even cathartic, way to indulge and explore our
feelings on these subjects. As loyal viewers tune in for a half hour-long
segment of bakery antics, they are treated to a free therapy session as well.
More than just the boss, Buddy seems like Cake
Dad… and of course father -especially The God Father- always knows best. Nearly
every episode ends with the Valasco family smiling and laughing around a dinner
table, with Buddy at the helm: a very Freudian image, indeed.
While all the filming quirks and mafia references
imply TLC Channel’s attempt to expand their viewership, it seems impossible to
deny that the show’s success has already been secured, with a global viewership
in over 160 countries (Bibel, 1), and most recently, product tie-ins with Cake Boss-inspired ready-to-sell cakes
based on Buddy’s designs. A spin-off series called Next Great Baker has also seen some network success and continues
to pick up traction, promising a $100,000 prize and a coveted internship at
Carlo’s Bake Shop for the winner. Ironically though, the two first Next Great Baker winners have been
women; although a cynic might question if any type-casting came into play in determining
the winner (setting the stage for maximum drama), it will certainly be
interesting to tune in for Cake Boss’ next
season, as we witness a network-backed female baker navigate the male-dominated
waters of Carlo’s Bake Shop.
Works Cited
Bibel, Sara. "'Cake Boss'
Premieres a Sweet Season 5 on May 28 on TLC." TV By The Numbers. TV
By The Numbers, 16 May 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.
<http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/05/16/cake-boss-premieres-a-sweet-season-5-on-may-28-on-tlc/134552/>.
Hottest Clips: Cake Boss. TLC. Discovery Communications LLC, n.d. Web. 28
Oct. 2012. <http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/cake-boss>.
TLC, prod. "Cake Boss." Cake
Boss. TLC. Hoboken, New Jersey, 19 Apr. 2009-2012. Television.
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