TLC's version of cooking-as-entertainment, Cake Boss, has given the Garden State something else to be proud of besides the cast of The Jersey Shore. For three seasons, fondant-loving foodies have been following owner Buddy Valastro as he runs his Italian-American family's 100-year-old Hoboken bakery, Carlo's Bake Shop, with the typical assortment of loud sisters and in-laws. This week, Valastro not only signs his cookbook/memoir, Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes From Mia Famiglia — featuring tips on making everything from frosting to chiffon cakes to Italian cookies — but also hosts a live cooking demonstration. Picture all the disappointed faces this holiday season if you show up with another fruitcake log. Signing: Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Wed., Nov. 17, noon; free. (626) 449-5320. Demonstration: The Orpheum, 842 S. Broadway, dwntwn.; Wed., Nov. 17, 7 p.m.; $32, $42. (877) 677-4386.

Wed., Nov. 17, 7 p.m., 2010

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