Teenager Deaven Tierney claims to be one of the biggest fans of reality TV star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi from MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”
“I live every day wanting to be just like her,” Tierney said a week ago Wednesday, standing among a group of kids outside Buon Appetito Restaurant in Bayonne, near 42nd Street and Broadway. The teens, many of whom were from Bayonne High School, were aware that Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro from Hoboken was scheduled to appear as well – but the people there for the Cake Boss tended to be older and arrived later.
The teens said they had followed Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi on Twitter and Facebook. Among the crowd were Francheli Inoa, Amanda McKillop, Anthony Menafro, Amellia DeSantis, Alana Janiszewski, and Amanda Pachcio, all of whom joined the chanting to see the star.
“I live every day wanting to be just like her.” – Deaven Tierney
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As Polizzi and her mother enjoyed their meal inside, the teens peered through the front windows to get a glimpse.
“Is she really here?” one teen asked, as others commented that she was “awesome” and asked, “Is she going to come out?”
Management tried to keep the doors free for customers seeking to use the deli portion, which remained open throughout the shooting.
Cake Boss’s blunder
Polizzi and her family arrived slightly before 4 p.m. She posed for pictures with people inside and outside the restaurant, although most of the crowds didn’t arrive until later.
Valastro was scheduled to arrive at about 4:45 p.m., but made a classic mistake: he took the New Jersey Turnpike from Hoboken, and got stuck in traffic.
“Yeah, I took the Turnpike,” he admitted when he showed up, responding to a question yelled out to him by the Bayonne Community News just after he arrived. He even giggled when someone said, “A long way from Hoboken, eh?” and said, “Bayonne is just like Hoboken. I feel really at home here.”
Although the cake design was supposed to be a closely guarded secret, some followers of the show said they had been apprised of the design, which included a scene from the “Jersey Shore” and a tiny statue that resembled Snooki.
Residents respond
Phyllis Kutler wheeled her granddaughter, Madison, over to the restaurant from her home about a block away. An avid fan of “Cake Boss,” she said she already knew the design.
“I really admire his work,” she said, recalling some designs such as a cake featuring his wife and one he did for NASCAR.
Waiting for him to arrive, she said, “Everybody knows you shouldn’t take the Turnpike. Maybe he should have taken the light rail.”
Tony Stoebling said a close family friend of Snooki had dined at his restaurant and bragged to Snooki about it, prompting the MTV crew to use the place as a location for filming.
Toni Ann Palmisano – a seventh grade teacher at Secaucus Middle School – stopped her car when some of the crowd told her who was inside the restaurant. “I was just passing by,” she said. “But I knew I had to stop.”
She disagreed, however, with the concept behind “Jersey Shore,” saying, “How the characters act on the show are not how we act in New Jersey.”
We love you Snooki, oh yes we do
Chanting “Snooki, Snooki, Snooki,” kids from Bayonne High School and elsewhere tried to get the star to come out, but once filming started, management came out to try to quiet the noisy teenagers.
Eventually, Bayonne police came and put up tape around the doors.
“Cake Boss” arrived more than an hour late. When a Bayonne Community News reporter asked, “They even make you drive your own truck?” Cake Boss laughed and said, “I do everything.”
Neighbors of the restaurant were a bit startled to find TV stars wandering around outside their doors. Two elderly Italians at one side of the store actually received pieces of the birthday cake.
Rose DeVine, who has lived next door for about five years, said she knew about the event since she is a regular customer at Buon Appetito.
John Saleh was among those who rushed over to see Snooki. He said that he has submitted a number of videos in an effort to get on the show.