Sir Chef Bruno Serato
It’s the quintessential American success story. A young man immigrates to the United States with nothing more than a dream and $200 in his pocket, works hard and creates one of the culinary world’s most respected and lauded fine dining establishments -- the Anaheim White House -- with Presidents, royalty and A-list celebrities among his loyal guests. However, it's his charity work that has fueled his international celebrity.
In homage to his own humble beginnings, Serato has made it a priority to give back to those less fortunate in the community. In honor of his mother, he founded Caterina’s Club, an organization dedicated to making sure the region’s most vulnerable population – its children -- receive a hot meal before they are tucked into bed each evening. 7 nights a week he prepares dinner that is transported to 1,000 “motel kids," thus named as these underprivileged children are forced to live in rundown motels because their poverty stricken parents are unable to afford more permanent housing. The warm dinners are delivered to 8 locations throughout Orange County including Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA programs, and to the Illumination Foundation. In addition to having served more than 7500,000 meals so far, he has begun placing some of these families into homes of their own. Serato’s organization, Caterina’s Club, has successfully moved out 63 families from motels into permanent housing by providing them with their security deposit and first and last month’s rent.
Serato's extreme generosity has earned him worldwide status. He was named one of CNN's 10 Heroes of the Year and has been featured in magazines (People, Elle, Vogue, Riviera), television ("CBS Evening News," Univision,") and newspapers (New York Times, Los Angeles Times, OC Register) countless times. He was knighted by the Italian government, was honored on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with a humanitarian award, given a star on the Anaheim Walk of Stars, and has received any number of proclamations, Man of the Year awards and other forms of recognition. He has also been honored as a distinguished guest and keynote speaker at events around the world including the Napoleon Hills Foundation and the 4th International Forum on Food and Nutrition for Barilla Pasta. Recently, he has been knighted by the Italian Government earning him the title, Sir Bruno Serato.
Today, he continues to run his highly successful Italian steakhouse, but makes sure to open its doors not only for his own Caterina's Club, but to so many other nonprofits that are greeted with a warm and generous embrace. His generosity in that regard earned national attention when he donated 200 fundraising dinners accommodating 100 guests each to deserving nonprofits in the community. While his prowess in the kitchen knows no bounds, so too does his generosity.