ML - Vegas Magazine

photography by sabin orr Andiamo's famous osso buco. "The cakes are amazing, buT people know ThaT i'm real. if you see me on Television, i'm The same guy. my parenTs raised me ThaT way." —buddy valastro can drive those types of numbers. BV: Chefs always treat me so nicely, and they're always like, "You've got to try every dessert on the menu!" That part is really cool! And it's very humbling. But the show has become a lot more than that. The original goal was to make my bakery a household name. That was the promise I made to my father when I was 16. A lot of times my show helps people through hard times. You don't know how many Make-A-Wish kids I see or people who have been in the hospital who were excited about the show because it reminded them of home. The waiter brings a roasted beet salad with orange- tarragon vinaigrette and prepares the caesar salad. So, the original Caesar is attributed to an Italian immigrant who ran restaurants in Tijuana during Prohibition. Cultural appro- priation is what Vegas does so well. How do you think they're doing it here at Andiamo? BV: Honestly, the Caesar salad is phenomenal. It's very well balanced, and you cannot beat watching it made tableside. There's this misconception with the anchovies in Caesar salad that you can taste it, but it's a unique type of f lavor profile.... SS: I love it. BV: And they have omega-3s. I need more salad. It's so good. The beet salad is really good, too. It isn't trying to be froufrou Italian. This is some- thing we're trying to do: Spaghetti and meatballs are what people think of when they think of Italian, so why not make it? SS: And make it great! handmade pastas arrive: agnolotti and tortellaci. BV: When I was 16, me and my dad were looking in a bridal magazine, and he said to me, "Can you imagine one day if our wedding cakes were in a bridal magazine?" About two years after he died, a writer featured one of our cakes in modern bride. I was in that same magazine every single issue for years straight…. Food Network called one day and said they did this cake competition show and asked if I would compete in it. And then I did a bunch of them. And then one day they said they wanted to do a cake show.... SS: Before the show, you were already in the b a k ery business for a hundred years. Was it all local bakeries in New Jersey? BV: Mostly New York and New Jersey, and now I've been all over. California, Mexico, Canada, Dubai! Discovery [Channel] is all over the world, and the one show they have everywhere is cake boss because it does so well. Do you think it's because everyone loves dessert, or is it you? BV: I think it's the family, and people can relate no matter where you go. I mean, the cakes are amazing, but people know that I'm real. If you see me on television, I'm the same guy. My parents raised me that way. valastro has a 24-ounce long bone Tomahawk rib eye with handmade gnocchi, and silvestri has a 16-ounce bone-in filet with lobster risotto. SS: We should take that bone with us. Ryan Lochte is a friend of yours, Sebastien, and he comes to Andiamo to have a place where he'll be taken care of and can dine in peace. SS: Vegas is so small, and I love it because you have all your friends all around town, but I don't think that I have any privacy anymore. But it's okay. I've been here for 10 years, and of all of the places I've lived, it is my favorite because the energy is unbelievable. People are driven. They work. It's a young town. People can succeed and do well. BV: This is a great pick. I would never have known to come here unless you invited me. It's all about creating experiences for people, no matter who they are. If you deliver a good experience, that's what's important. V Valastro and Silvestri peruse the menu. 82  vegasmagazine.com taste On the town

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