Duff Goldman

Goldman was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Jewish family. He moved shortly thereafter to Missouri. Goldman's nickname Duff came about when he was a baby.[3] His toddler brother, Willie Goldman, was unable to pronounce Jeffrey and kept saying Duffy.[1] When he was four, his mother caught him in her kitchen wielding a meat cleaver and watching food personality Chef Tell.[4]

After the divorce of his parents when he was ten, Goldman spent time living in both Northern Virginia and in the town of Sandwich on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.[5] In 1992, Goldman attended McLean High School in McLean, Virginia where he played on the Highlanders ice hockey team. In 1993, he graduated from Sandwich High School[1][6][7] in Sandwich.

From the age of fourteen, he began to work in kitchens; his first job was at a bagel store at a mall.[8] Goldman also worked as a fry cook at McDonald's. Goldman has said that when he was a sophomore in college, he went to what he considered the finest restaurant in Baltimore, Charleston, and was inspired to apply as a cook there. The head chef, Cindy Wolf, looked at his résumé and noted that it consisted of irrelevant experience. However, Cindy did offer him a job to make cornbread and biscuits only, and this is what Goldman cites as the turning point in his career.[9]

Shortly after college at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, he attended schools such as Corcoran College of Art and the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California. After working under acclaimed chefs in California, including a stagiaire position at the French Laundry[10] and as executive pastry chef of the Vail Cascade Hotel in Colorado,[11] he returned to Washington, D.C., to work at Todd English's Olives restaurant[12] baking bread.[13]

Charm City Cakes

In 2002, Goldman opened his own business called Charm City Cakes. Initially, his cake sales began as he worked out of his house in Charles Village in Baltimore, Maryland with the help of two assistants he employed.[2] As demand grew, he hired more employees, hiring painters, architects, and sculptors to work in the bakery.[14] Charm City Cakes frequently uses blow torches, as well as power tools such as grinders and drills to help create the underlying supports of cakes.[15]

Goldman has made cakes for president Barack Obama's second inaugural ball in 2013,[16] Tom Clancy, the cast of Lost, the 30 Rock cast (along with a cake prop), Sir Roger Moore,[17] and for Katy Perry's "Birthday" video.[18]

• Cake Masters, 2016-
• Duff Till Dawn, 2015
• Ace of Cakes, 2006-2011
• Holiday Baking Championship, 2014-
• Iron Chef America, 2005
• Kids Baking Championship, 2014-
• Spring Baking Championship, 2015-
• Worst Bakers in America, 2016-
• Dessert Games, 2017-
• Buddy vs. Duff, 2019-[19]
• Duff Takes the Cake, 2019-[20]
• Double Dare, 2019[21]
• Ryan's Mystery Playdate, 2019
• Unfiltered, 2020

Goldman has written three cookbooks: Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes, Duff Bakes: Think and Bake Like a Pro at Home,[22] and Super Good Baking for Kids.[23] [24]

Goldman currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He played bass guitar in an indie-rock band called "...soihadto...".[1] He is now the bass player in a band called Foigrock (a play on foie gras and rock and roll). He states his alternate dream job would be to perform as a bass player with the band Clutch. Goldman has made a wedding cake for Clutch's lead singer, Neil Fallon.[25][26] In addition, Fallon's younger sister and Goldman's friend from college, Mary Alice Fallon-Yeskey, works at Charm City Cakes as the office manager.[27]

Goldman is Jewish. He is involved in Tzedakah.[28] In an interview with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, Goldman said "Tzedakah is very important to me. I’ve been so fortunate with everything that has happened to me, it would be a crime not to give back."[29]

In 2012, Goldman lost toes in a motorcycle accident.[30]

On April 2, 2018, Goldman proposed to Johnna Colbry.[31] On January 21, 2019, the two were married.. On September 25, 2019, Goldman spoke at Cornell University, discussing the importance of Jewish identity and tzedakah in his life.[32] On August 8, 2020, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, expected in January 2021.[33] On January 31, 2021, the couple welcomed Josephine Frances Goldman who weighed in at 8 lbs., 2oz., and was 21 inches long.[34]

Goldman is interested in aquatic animals and maintains a large Red Sea aquarium in his home and is known to ensure that he keeps them in check once Tweeting “I had Salmon for dinner. I like to eat fish in front of my fish tank so those little bastards know who is in charge.”[35]