Bruno Serato, the charismatic owner of the Anaheim White House, will join ranks with Chef Pascal Olhats, founder of the renowned eatery that bears his name, to co-chair Passport to Chefs on Sunday, May 23 at 4 p.m. The fundraiser, which benefits the Roosters Foundation, is part of the Food & Wine Celebration to be held at the Fairmont Hotel in Newport Beach. Serato and Olhats are overseeing the $400 ticket black-tie soiree where guests will enjoy the tableside preparation of their meal by one of 18 chefs from OC’s top dining establishments (e.g., Anaheim White House, Pascals, French 75, Charlie Palmer, Leatherby’s).

A native of Verona, Italy, Serato has become one of the leading figures in OC’s burgeoning dining industry. Though he arrived in the U.S. unable to speak English and without any money, he worked hard to learn the language and worked his way up the ranks in the restaurant business. In 1981, he opened the Anaheim White House, which has since earned countless awards including the International Five Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and top rankings in the Zagat Dining Guide. In addition, Serato was recognized on Capitol Hill as “Cornerstone Humanitarian of the Year� for feeding more than 50,000 underprivileged Orange County youngsters each year through the nonprofit he established called Caterina’s Club.

Olhats is renowned for his highly acclaimed Pascal Restaurant in Newport Beach, which he opened in 1988. Educated in France, he studied under the watchful eye of the legendary Paul Bocuse, among others, before moving to So Cal in the early ‘80s. Among his accolades was being named Chef of the Year by the French Chef’s Assn and he is an inductee in the National Restaurant Hall of Fame.

The Roosters Foundation provides food and support to children and families in need. For ticket information for the Food & Wine Celebration, visit www.roostersfoundation.org.