'Ace' says cupcakes on the decline

After five years and 10 outrageous seasons, "Ace of Cakes" star Duff Goldman is heading west to open a second custom cake shop.

The Food Network reality show is about the daily operations of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore. After the show ends this spring, Goldman and several of his employees are moving to Los Angeles to set up Charm City Cakes West, serving California and Las Vegas. Once it's up and running, he may try a new show.

Goldman, who never goes by his real name, Jeffrey, got his nickname from his older brother, who couldn't pronounce his name. In an interview, the 36-year-old Goldman, who's also a musician and artist, spoke about his thoughts on cupcakes, reality TV and Nebraska.

Q: How are you feeling about the show coming to an end?

A: It's bittersweet. I think that it's a shock to see it ending, but at the same time, we've kind of known about it for a long time. It's not like they pulled the rug out from under us. It was a very mutual decision. ... It's time to do some new stuff.

Q: Do you plan to move your band, soihadto, to Los Angeles?

A: We've been talking about how we're going to do it. It's not called soihadto anymore. We kicked out a guy who was a bad influence, and we're changing the name and changing the style of music. My favorite name right now is Nebraska.

Q: Why Nebraska?

A: It conjures some really good, bleak images of flatness and cold and corn and football. It's just got a big empty feel to it. It's a beautiful state, and there's just not much there. It's kind of ruled by the elements.

Q: What's your take on cupcakes? Passe?

A: I think the fascination is wearing off, but there's always going to be a place for them. I think the market for cupcakes was huge, and it's just settling down to normal. You'll probably see the price point dropping off a little because people are realizing that paying $12 for something the size of your fist is kinda stupid.

Q: Do you watch any other reality TV?

A: We don't call ours "reality" because you hear the word "reality" and the first thing you think of is bad acting. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, because it's all pretty disgusting. I don't find anyone's stupidness interesting. A lot of these shows are about nobody doing nothing. You watch stuff like "Jersey Shore." It's a runaway hit, and it makes absolutely no sense. Those are people you would never want to hang out with it.

Q: You've worked at all kinds of restaurants, from the French Laundry to McDonald's. Any similarities?

A: Both really demand perfection. That's pretty much where the similarities end.

Q: What's the attraction to cake?

A: We can work at our own pace. You're really stretched to do your research. You're figuring out what to bake, how to bake it, how to build it. What parts are cake and what's not cake. We are the luckiest people in the world because every Friday we get to see these cakes when they're done.

Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service