Anaheim White House Restaurant. - The Power of Pasta

Praise for The Power of Pasta and Chef Bruno Serato

The Power of Pasta is an uplifting tribute to the most inspirational use of Italys most famous culinary export. Bravo, Bruno!

SOPHIA LOREN

I worked with Bruno Serato in the 80s. He spoke very little English, but after a few weeks, he was the best busboy, then best waiter, then the best matre d. And now an incredible owner/host to his guests, his employees, and his community. He loves what he does, he is passionate, and he is a role model for our industry. Bravo Bruno!

JEAN-PIERRE DUBRAY, Executive Chef, Pelican Hill Resort, Newport Beach

Bruno Serato is an institution in the city of Anaheim, a source of nourishment for the children who need a helping hand, and an inspiration to everyone in our community.

MICHAEL COLGLAZIER, President of Disneyland Resort

What can I say about the kindness of a man who has fed over a million kids in Anaheim, even when his own business was going [down] during tough recessionary times? Bruno Serato is a treasure to our city and to our nation. His extraordinary generosity inspires all of us to see the impact one man can have on an entire community. I am proud to call him my friend.

TOM TAIT, Mayor of the City of Anaheim

Bruno is a textbook example of the hospitality industry working to give back to a community and making a huge difference. Brunos boundless energy and pasta-making skills have fed more than a million children in the greater Anaheim community through Caterinas Club and given peace of mind to countless parents. His generosity and devotion to keep going day after day is a model for us all in this industry on how we can give back and make a difference.

JAY BURRESS, President of Visit Anaheim

Copyright 2017 by Bruno Serato

All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the publisher.

This edition published by SelectBooks, Inc.

For information address SelectBooks, Inc., New York, New York.

First Edition

ISBN 978-1-59079-459-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Serato, Bruno, author.

Title: The power of pasta: a celebrity chefs mission to feed Americas hungry children: includes 40 recipes from the award-winning Anaheim White House Restaurant / by Bruno Serato with Lori Hetherington.

Description: First edition. | New York: SelectBooks, Inc., [2017] | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017003324

Subjects: LCSH: Serato, Bruno. | Cooks--United States--Biography. | Anaheim White House Restaurant. | Caterinas Club. | Food relief--California--Orange County. | Cooking, Italian. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.

Classification: LCC TX649.S255 A3 2017 | DDC 641.5092 [B] --dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003324

Jacket and design by Janice Benight

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Mamma Caterina, the inspiration behind the foundation

And to my father, Delio

Mamma Caterina surrounded by her loving family

CONTENTS

Table of Contents

I n San Bonifacio, Italy, not far from where I was born and live with my family, a true modern-day hero spent his youth: Bruno Serato.

I use the term true modern-day hero, but what does it really mean? And who are these heroes of our times?

Actually, it is easier to look for and find them than one might think. Look around, pay close attention, and learn from people who have reawakened their sense of conscience and brought forward the innate compassion that is part of us all. It requires training and practice every day, so that the hero within us learns to step forward, with a gesture as simple as an offering.

Seven days a week, Bruno prepares more than 1,800 pasta dinners for hungry children. He is not only satisfying their need for food but is also filling and nourishing their hearts with hope and great love. Bruno is an example of a modern-day hero, and he offers us this model of behavior, renewing what it means to be a human being. In a world where it sometimes feels as if passing values are imposed on us, the altruism of simplicity may exist, and resist, within a famous restaurant, or perhaps just outside our door.

Bruno is promoting heroism and is showing us how to do it. He has, up to now, served more than one million plates of pasta to children in need. Those children have a right to not be hungry and, by taking action and doing, Brunos commitment takes on a heroic aspect. When a child has a wholesome plate of pasta in his or her stomach, he or she can play, study, and participate in life.

Bruno at headquarters of Barilla, the largest pasta factory in the world in Parma, Italy

Thanks to Bruno, and thanks to all the modern heroes, we can, together, one day achieve something truly important. We should never look for excuses for not taking action: Only action can transform a utopia into a dream, and a dream into a reality.

From the depths of my heart, thank you, Bruno, for all that you do! You have committed yourself to helping those who are less fortunate get ahead through your wonderful association. With equal parts of passion and true dedication you also feed us all every day, acting as a guide and example for the heroes of tomorrow.

Welcome, Bruno, to our Heroes Company. It is an honor to have you on our team!

With deep friendship and sincere admiration,

ROBERTO BAGGIO

World Soccer Player of the Year, 1993

Not all of us can do great things.

But we can do small things with great love.

MOTHER TERESA

E xcuse me, Bruno. Do you remember me?

I studied the friendly features of the young man as I prepared to serve pasta at the Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim in California. His dark eyes were filled with hope.

The room was buzzing with excited, mostly elementary school-aged children who could hardly sit still. It was five oclock in the afternoon, and we were about to dish up the steaming pasta my assistants and I had brought from the restaurant.