Patricia Talorico

The News Journal

Bing%27s Bakery has been open since 1946

%27Cake Boss%27 Buddy Valastro visited the store last October for his TV show

The episode featuring Bing%27s airs Tuesday night on TLC

What was "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro's first thought when he walked into Bing's Bakery in Newark more than eight months ago?

"Honestly, I walked in and thought I had gone back to the '70s, like "Brady Bunch" style!" Valastro told The News Journal Monday.

In October 2013, the celebrity pastry chef spent nearly a week at the 253 E. Main St. bakery filming an episode for what was then his new TLC series, "Bakery Boss." Since then, the cable channel has renamed and relaunched the series, now called "Buddy's Bakery Rescue."

At 10 p.m. Tuesday on TLC, viewers can see the makeover changes Valastro made at Bing's, owned by husband-and-wife team Tom and Carla Guzzi.

"I think Buddy was fabulous," Carla Guzzi said. "I can relate to how hard that man has worked to get where he's at now."

For the most part, Guzzi said she was happy with the makeover.

Without giving away too much of Tuesday's episode, Guzzi said she was "kind of taken aback" with the reveal. "When I saw it, I was reserved in my comments."

Bing's Bakery, a Newark landmark since 1946, was founded by the late Russell and Selina Bing. Head baker Tom Guzzi, who has worked at the bakery since 1996, took over the business in 2005.

The premise of Valastro's series is the pastry chef travels the country helping and giving advice to small, struggling, mostly family-run bakeries.

Bing's, in business for nearly 68 years, has been facing economic challenges in the last nine years, Carla Guzzi said.

"Whatever goes on in business ... your customers shouldn't know about," she said. "The challenges have been great. People want winners. Our struggles, we've kept very quiet."

In February 2013, the Guzzis were contacted by High Noon Entertainment, a reality-based production company. They were asked, in a generic email, Carla Guzzi said, if the family was interested in being featured on Valastro's new series.

Guzzi wrote back and shared the story of the Newark bakery and some of its struggles. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think we were going to get picked," she said.

Valastro is well-acquainted with family businesses. His family's Carlo's Bake Shop – featured on the popular "Cake Boss" TLC series since 2009 – has been a fixture in Hoboken, New Jersey, since 1910. The family also runs other New Jersey locations.

Valastro said the Bing's Bakery "rescue" was a little harder than others he has done previously.

"It wasn't that the owners made a bad product," he said. "Their product is good, but they made too much. There was too much all at once, the customer gets overwhelmed and doesn't know what to get."

Valastro wouldn't say which baked goods he liked – and didn't like. "I don't want to give it all away, you gotta tune in to find out."

Guzzi said Valastro and her husband Tom bonded during the filming due to their longtime baking roots. "We called them the old-school bakers. [Valastro] was impressed by how much Tom was doing from scratch."

Bing's Bakery was closed for a week while the filming took place last fall. Guzzi said it was hard to go that long without any income.

"On the last day, I said 'At 12 o'clock the doors are opening up and I don't care if you're not done yet.' I think people underestimate how demanding it is to film a TV show."

Since Bing's has been in business since the 1940s, Valastro said it's important "to stay true to your tradition, what makes your business special."

But, he added, "you also need to make room for innovation. There is a balance there and you have to play with what you've got, do some testing and development and see what works, because if you never offer anything new, your customer will look for it somewhere else."

Guzzi said she, Tom and the Bing's staff are both anxious and excited to see the show. "We will see it when everyone else sees it nationally."

As for the future of Bing's, Guzzi said the family and staff is hoping the TV show gives the business a bump.

"Folks have to come out and support the local bakeries," she said. "If they don't ... it doesn't mean we're going to stay there."

"Buddy's Bakery Rescue" features six episodes in all. Valastro also will visit bakeries in New York, Florida, Texas and Massachusetts.

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com. Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawareonline.com/blog/secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico