One year later: Bruno Serato reflects as he prepares to reopen fire-damaged Anaheim White House
Over the course of a few hours the flames swallowed his livelihood, an original painting of his mother Caterina and a letter from
It was, and remains, a nightmare.
Serato had hoped to reopen by
"Losing Valentine's week is dramatic," said Serato, noting it falls on a Wednesday which often means romantic trysts spread out for a several days.
The hardship of being temporarily closed a year has cost the 30-year-old Anaheim White House roughly
This week he took steps to refinance his
"People think I'm rich and famous. I am famous, but I'm not rich," said the CNN Top 10 Hero.
"My soul is rich."
Keeping the faith
Sitting at a table outside the Tower of Hope at
The restaurateur was up at
"I thought it was a joke," Serato said.
He jumped in his 10-year-old Mercedes and raced to the
He arrived 20 minutes later, about half the time it normally takes, to see plumes of fire bursting from the roof of the Italian restaurant known for its resemblance to
"I was crying my heart out."
What wasn't in ashes, was left scorched or ruined from water damage.
In the afternoon, a glimmer of hope emerged; a firefighter found in the rubble Serato's rosary, which had been blessed by
"It was a sign," said the devout Catholic.
Feeding the Children
Between bouts of uncontrollable sobbing, Serato thoughts continued to return to his life's mission:
At the time, the charity was serving thousands of meals daily to children from low-income families. It is named after his mother, who insisted he feed local motel children a proper pasta meal after spotting a 6-year-old boy eating potato chips for dinner at the
Over the years, he's been honored numerous times for his work, receiving a humanitarian award on the steps of the
But, none of those accolades mattered on a bleak Saturday morning in February.
Come Monday, how would he feed the children?
He needn't have fretted.
Several restaurants and catering companies offered their kitchens. The first week his team prepared pasta meals at
By the second week, he shifted to
Serato's been there nearly a year.
"This is a gift from God," he says, pointing to the shimmering 44,000-square-foot glass sanctuary. "He gave me a church."
Caterina's outreach has since grown to serving 3,500 children at 62 locations in
The number surged after the fire.
"Lots of people starting calling me to help to feed more kids," Serato said.
Earlier this month,
The partnership means the
Rising from the ashes
The fire, which started when an electrical outlet malfunctioned on the first floor, destroyed 80 percent of the two-story Colonial-style restaurant.
Though many regulars hoped he would reopen sooner, Serato said restoring the historic 1909 house has taken longer than anyone expected.
Dealing with the insurance and getting city approvals to ensure the historic integrity of the structure has been challenging, as well.
If it wasn't for a GoFundMe page, which ballooned to about
Interior designer
Dolino and
"They are all working on trust," Serato said. "I have been blessed."
But he's also operating on faith.
Over the years, including during the Great Recession, he's refinanced his
Excitement over the
Anyone who drives along
The signature portico and palatial columns are nearly complete. The major exterior changes include the elimination of ornamental balusters on the second floor and French-style windows in the front of the restaurant. The latter will be replaced with historically correct picture windows.
Inside, Serato, ever fond of fashion and over -the-top décor, said diners can expect the same sleek Anaheim White House but with a modern twist.
The Italianate frescoes are returning in the dining room, as well as a mix of contemporary lightning and chandeliers.
For the first time, the Anaheim White House will have a full service bar. The second story lounge will seat 80 customers and serve a separate international small plates menu. A balcony facing
"It will have a view of the fireworks," Serato said.
On Monday, Serato said when it's all done, the outside will still look like the
"It's going to be magnificent."
Bruno's American Dream
Raised in
In Brea, French restaurateur
Laulhere taught him how to run a restaurant, and gave him the courage to strike out on his own.
In 1987, he bought the Anaheim White House, a historical landmark built as a home in 1909. The neo-classical building had previously staved off demolition years before and was a restaurant prior to Serato taking ownership.
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