You have been featured in People Magazine, on Oprah's Facebook page, in The Huffington Post, and on the CBS Evening News, winning many humanitarian awards. Did you ever think from feeding 80 kids that first night, you'd be doing this for hundreds of kids, every night, for seven years?
No, no I never thought I would because for 7 years I've been doing it under the radar and nobody knew it. Now I've just exploded. I don't know why, but it's so amazing. When I started the original year, I knew I was going to do this for some time, but I never dreamed that 7 years later I'd still be doing this every single day. I can't believe it has been so long. It's really amazing to me.
Who or what inspires you to keep doing this everyday?
Oh my mom, obviously. She's the one behind everything and I know that if I stop, she will probably be mad at me. I don't want to make mama mad! She's the one who is responsible for keeping this going. This is her legacy.
That's amazing. So you started Caterina's Club in her honor. Can you tell us more about that? What are some ways we can get people to help Caterina's Club to grow?
Seven years ago, I asked some women to come here [Anaheim White House] for lunch, telling them I would like to do something for children in the Anaheim motel area. So I started a club on behalf of my mother, calling it Caterina's Girls Club. We did that to support a lot of girls to have a brighter future. To help, anybody can be part of it--any woman who wants to be part of Caterina's Club can be part of it. I do a luncheon every three months at the Anaheim White House. People pay $55 to attend. That goes to the motel kids program, so you not only have fun and a good lunch, but you are also helping a child receive free meals. For anyone who wants to be part of it, they can go to Caterina's Club to find out more.
I don't know if many people know, but you were involved with helping some victims of Hurricane Katrina. Could you speak more about that?
There were some people who had been relocated to California and we found out that one of them used to be a waiter in Louisiana. I think he worked at the Hyatt as a waiter and we hired him to work with us. He was able to save money to go back to Louisiana. He was a really good guy, was able to get his wife and children back together, put them back on track and back to Louisiana. I'm always helping others because I think that there often shortages in the world. I believe in helping others and making life better for everybody. Working for Katrina was only one example.
As you may know, one month ago, I gave away 200 lunches to 200 non-profit, 501(3) charities.* Every Wednesday, starting January 2012, a registered, 501(3) charity will come for a free lunch to the Anaheim White House, which will be good for them. Yes, because a lot of the non-profits are in a lot of trouble because they don't have enough money and the government has stopped subsidizing them. I have a beautiful banquet hall that I use for banquets and weddings--and since I don't use it often, I thought I could give it away for lunch for [these groups] to use.
Wow, that's amazing. Thank you so much. You seem to be so passionate and inspired about helping others. Can you speak more, in addition to your amazing mother, about some people who have inspired you to become the renowned chef/restaurateur/humanitarian that we know today?
I came from a very poor family, growing up with nothing. When I grew up that way, getting more later in life, I decided to share what I have. When I was younger, I was poor and my family received help from some neighbors and I decided to do the same thing too. The inspiration came from how I grew up myself and the fact that I grew up in poverty. Not below the poverty level, but I grew up with not much around me. Now that I have a little bit more, I decide to give back to the community, to the people who need it the most. They are my inspiration.
You seem to also mentor the kids that you feed, serving as an amazing example. What would you say to these kids who have limited resources, but who have a lot of passion like you did growing up?
What I would say to them, first off, is that I want them to graduate from college. After they do that, I want them to never forget where the pasta came from when they didn't have any. That way, they can keep doing this same thing themselves for other children. I want them to one day do what I am doing for them--I'm sure some kids will do that. I've had kids tell me, "I want to do what you do one day because it's amazing. I appreciate it so much that you feed me pasta every night." The most beautiful gift I receive is when I know that these kids want to do the same thing when they get older by making sure no children go hungry.
You have had extensive experience in the culinary industry. You came to the United States with $200 in your pocket, starting off at La Vie en Rose in Brea. Can you talk a little bit about where your passion not just for helping others, but for food came from? Who were your mentors?
When I was fourteen years old, my mom and dad had a small, Italian trattoria, a mom-and-pop type of place. The fact that I was fourteen when I started working in the food industry started it all. My mom was the chef and I was helping her, which taught me a lot by working with food at a younger age. When they sold the restaurant, I decided to go back as a waiter; from waiter, I went up to where I am today. The beginning of everything in the food business started with my mom and dad's small restaurant in Italy.
How do we keep this program of feeding hundreds of motel children you've been doing for seven years going?
Ultimately, I want this to be nationwide. My goal is have every Boys & Girls Club in the country following my program. And if every Boys & Girls Club in the country follows my program, the children in America will go to bed with full stomachs instead of going to bed with empty stomachs. I believe in the power of other Boys & Girls Clubs working in combination with other chefs or restaurateurs out there. This is my goal. I want this to be nationwide.
What are some amazing projects we expect to see from you, Bruno Serato, and from the renowned Anaheim White House? What should we look forward to?
My next project is to start moving out motel families from where they are because feeding the kids feels good, but I know that the kids go back to a motel environment that is not nice. What I would like to do is start to move families from a one-bedroom location with no kitchen to a two-bedroom apartment. This is where I need the White House customers to help me continue doing what I do. All together, we can do it. With many people behind something, we can do so much. The community together does a lot. If you want to make a difference, look up the 501(3) foundations in Orange County that are doing great things. I just love them so much because they are doing many caring things. I really mean that; we are all working together to make Orange County a much better place to live.
I appreciate your time. You run such an amazing establishment, feeding kids every day, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people to do more.
If I can do that alone, feeding 300 children, everyday and alone, imagine what we can do together! We can feed millions of kids. That is my goal. I tell people that I'm not a magic man. I do it with my own hands, in my own kitchen, with my own pasta. Together we can do something to change the world.
* [100% of the proceeds from these fundraisers will benefit the organizations and 200 local nonprofits received the giveaway- a total value of $1 million.]
Interview by Thanh-Tam Candice Vu
VOTE FOR BRUNO TO BECOME 2011 CNN Hero of the Year: http://heroes.cnn.com/vote_en.aspx
GET INVOLVED: http://www.thecaterinasclub.org/
Thanh-Tam Candice Vu is a freelance writer, promoting local non-profit organizations and humanitarian efforts.
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