White House owner receives star on the Anaheim Walk of Stars

ANAHEIM Hosting celebrities, presidents and Orange County's glitterati nightly at his restaurant, the Anaheim White House, hasn't gone to Bruno Serato's head. He still calls his mother in Italy every day at 8 a.m. and rolls up his sleeves in the afternoon to prepare meals for a hundred needy children who live in local motels.

On Tuesday, he earned a star on the Anaheim Walk of Stars, joining the ranks of Walt Disney, Carl Karcher and Gene Autry.

Q: How does it feel to be added to the Anaheim Walk of Stars?

A: I'm so overwhelmed and honored. …I will dedicate it to one of the motel kids because I hope that one day they have a star of their own.

Q: Why is helping the motel kids and other underprivileged youth important to you?

A: My mom always told me, "Never forget where you come from." … I came to this country from Italy with only $200 and I didn't speak English. When you come to a country and you're poor, you're always going to remember what poor means.

Q: How did you make the transition from busboy to restaurant owner?

A: The reason I turned out to be a successful business man is because the locals support me… When I was a busboy in America, I used to have a customer who used to give me $5 or $10 extra in tips, which in that time was a big tip. Today they come to my restaurant and they're still my best customer.

Q: Are you close with your family back in Italy?

A: Yes. Me and my mom and father and brother and sister had a restaurant for six years in Italy. I was a cook, waiter, bartender, dishwasher, everything. I want to preserve that family feeling in my own restaurant. That's why I have a sign in my restaurant that says, "Welcome to our home."

Q: Do you have any family recipes on the menu?

A: The gnocchi is my mom's recipe, she made it every Sunday. The tomato sauce and the tiramisu are my mom's recipes too. The old, traditional recipes are still on the menu because people love them.

Q: What do you like about cooking?

A: You can do so much with the food. You have to be an artist to mix sauces and items together. I enjoy food and I love to eat more than cooking.

Contact the writer: lashbaugh@ocregister.com or 714-704-3705