ASo I am a little late on announcing this, but I still am super excited about it and its all I have been talking about! I bartend at a bar in Akron, OH and Saturday night I got a group of guys at my bar fairly early. I kept staring at the one going where have I seen him. Took me about 30 min and I yell "holy sh*t!!! That's the cake boss!!!!" I went up and asked if I could have a picture. I started to tell him how I also bake and and I love his show but can't watch it anymore. He asked me why. I told him how I moved to Ohio for my dad, he passed away and his dying wish was for me to follow my passion and make cakes. When I watch his show and be starts talking about his dad I ball like a baby. He hugged me! Then asked if I had a picture of my work. I showed him a gum paste flower and my recent cake. He asked me to try out for his show! I told him I wasn't at that level but I would love to do an internship with his bakery. He told me to contact his bakery and let them know I met him. Well he got a table in VIP and stayed the whole night. He was so nice he came down and took pics with everyone downstairs. At closing I took him my business card and told him I really am serious about the internship. He told me he was serious about me entering the competition. I proceeded to tell him that I was t at that level. He stopped me and said my work was well enough to compete. And that there are people that come on with less skills and passion then I have. It made my ....probably year! I am now preparing to enter my first cake competition in January in Cleveland. I told myself if I place I will try out for his show on next casting call. He was so inspiring. He might come off mean sometimes on his show but be really gave me the push I needed! I thought I would share this important day with all of you :)

It sure was nice for you to meet a legend face to face.

But PLEASE take a look at the first episode of the new season of Next Great Baker where this same Buddy Valastro dumps into a trash bin, the baked specialty of somebody who didn't navigate the streets of NYC fast enough--somebody who doesn't live in NY and has never been to NYC before.

PLEASE save your money and effort for a good baking or culinary arts program that includes an internship with a working pastry chef as part of the tuition.  Take the time to visit schools and meet the teachers before you register, so that you are sure you get into the program that you really want.

"Do not waste your energy on competitions" is what your dad would tell you.  Put your energy into learning to bake smart, because baking for a living is tricky enough without the stress of competition. Baking smart means that you do excellent work without burning out and also without going broke.

You know you have a real, lifelong, sustaining passion for baking when you come home from a funeral or surgery, and what you do first is head into the kitchen and start baking. Making cakes for the publicity isn't the same thing at all.

AA congrats to what makes you happy or an each their own would have been significant. I've heard about the whole cake thing and honestly it's the first show of the season and ratings are important. Yes giving it to a soup kitchen would have been a nice thing to do. But in realality nice doesn't get ratings. As for school, I visited a few colleges after high school, the skill level of the schools weren't much to be impressed by. And I was not blessed to have parents pay for my college and I'm by going to make the mistake of putting myself 50k-100k in debt. I'm self taught for the most part. I've taken a few classes at a convention last year to improve some things I needed to work on. But I find more pride and self accomplishment being able to teach myself how to do the things I can do. I have friends that have gone in debt and still are serving or cooking for low pay in restaurants because their degree cant get them a job. As for waste my energy on competitions, i'm new to my area and my portfolio is tiny. This local competition next month is making me push myself further in my skills. It's giving me confidence. If I place it's something I get to put in my portfolio! Brides want proof that their baker can do the Job. Im sure you remember how hard it was to book a cake when you first started? I have to make a name for myself and prove to this area that i have what it takes! As for my dad, he would tell me to go for it. So please do not try and tell me what he would say or do. You didn't know him. And lastly as for Buddy, yes he took a route you wouldn't. But if I were to get offered an internship with him, I'm taking it. Not to be on TV, but to absorb as much as I can from him and his bakery. The thing about pastry, there is always something new to learn. This is my passion and I'm not going to live in regret because I didn't go after an opportunity that would change my life. And I'm not going to listen to negative people who try to bring me down. I should have never even wasted the energy to explain myself to you.

AP.S. go rain on someone else's parade.

I think it's awesome that you got to meet Buddy. I love that you love baking.

Awesome! and congrats!!

AThanks! Next month I get to meet and take a class by Colette peters! I'm even more excited about that . Ohio is starting to not be so bad for me. I'm so happy for all these positive influences and opportunities.

Congratulations Brandyf817! That sounds like an amazing opportunity. I wish you the best of luck and hope that one day you'll be an intern at the shop.

Good luck in the cake competition!