May 10th, 2006
Restaurateur Provides Kids With More Than A Meal
WASHINGTON – Bruno Serato, the owner of the Anaheim White House, works as hard to support the children who live and play around his Italian restaurant as he does to feed his patrons.
A native Italian who moved to California in 1980, Serato was named the Humanitarian of the Year on Tuesday by the National Restaurant Association for volunteerism that includes his support of the Anaheim Boys & Girls Club.
“When you come from a very poor family and you get to the point where you have a lot, you want to give back to the people who need it,” Serato said. “At the Boys & Girls Club, you see children who aren’t able to eat, who have parents who are on drugs, and you realize that they need a lot help. And you can’t turn your back on children.”
Serato has raised $70,000 for the club in addition to creating another organization to help poor children living near the restaurant. He founded Caterina’s Girls Club in 2003 and has raised $35,000 to give poor children, many without permanent housing, free meals six days a week along with transportation to the Boys & Girls Club.
The club is named after his mother who, he said, despite having little, always fed any child without enough to eat. It is from her influence that he values philanthropy and volunteerism and from her support that he was able to start his life over in the United States as a dishwasher who spoke no English.
“When I mentioned my mom, Caterina, tears came down my eyes because she’s my force,” he said. “I came to America 20 years ago, and to be here, in the Capitol, I cannot describe the emotion.”
The award comes with a $5,000 check to be used for the recipient’s cause. Serato said he was thinking about donating it to the New Orleans Boys & Girls Club.
The National Restaurant Association has honored a small business and large business owner, along with naming a humanitarian of the year, for seven years. This year, it also recognized a corporation. The four national winners are selected and judged from a pool of state award winners.
Rep. Ed Royce, R-Fullerton, who presented Serato his award, said the Anaheim restaurateur had significantly helped poor children. Serato’s efforts have gone “above and beyond what most people have done for the Boys & Girls Club and the community,” said Royce, who grew up near the Anaheim White House.
Nonetheless, Serato, who said he almost fainted after finding out he had won, challenged all restaurant owners to do more. “People can call me for help, and I’ll always be there.”