When Buddy Valastro was a kid, he used to joke with his friends that one day he’d be so successful he’d have a house with a bowling alley in the basement. The Buddy vs. Duff star made that childhood dream a reality when he moved into this nearly 23,000-square-foot Montville, NJ, home with his wife Lisa and kids Sofia, 17, Bartolo, 16, Marco, 14, and Carlo, 10. “We knew this house was the one,” says Buddy. “The bowling alley was a sign.” Buddy is determined to get back to bowling someday — he suffered a serious hand injury last year while fixing the machinery — but between the injury and all the time at home, he has really been able to appreciate this house over the past year. There’s plenty of space for his family, plus a full-fledged movie theater, arcade, wine cellar and tasting room. “There are so many hidden treasures,” Buddy says. “That’s what keeps it exciting.”

Text written by Erica Finamore for Food Network Magazine.

All Photographs by Alison Gootee.

Decorating a space with a 20-foot ceiling is a big design challenge, but Lisa was up for it. She started with the two rhinestone-studded sofas. “I fell in love with these couches, and I ended up working the room around them,” she says. Custom blue-gray velvet drapes give the room a touch of glamour.

“This is where we live 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Lisa says. The room is everyone’s favorite spot, and the kids do their homework here, so ample seating was a must. Lisa chose Restoration Hardware sofas and a custom 5' x 5' ottoman. Of the house’s nine fireplaces, the Valastros use this one the most.

The red Venetian-plastered walls and ceiling steal the show in this room, but the table (where the family hosts Sunday dinners) is equally dramatic, with an intricate wrought-iron design under the glass top. “I wanted every room to have a unique piece that stands out,” Lisa says. In the corner the family keeps a display case of Buddy’s awards and family heirlooms.

After a trip to Napa a few years ago, Buddy was inspired to learn more about wine and start a collection. Before the pandemic, his friends would often join him in this cozy space for card games — and yes, a glass or two.

The retro-style home theater was another major selling point when the Valastros first saw the house. The kids have hosted many movie nights here for their friends.

There’s even a concession stand with full-size candy bars and glass apothecary jars of Starburst and Hershey’s Kisses!