COOKING ITALIAN AND FEEDING AMERICA

Serato Feeds Over 1,000,000 Meals to Hungry During Pandemic

Sir Bruno Serato is an iconic chef and humanitarian who serves those in need with what he knows best - pasta. We were honored to welcome him into the Awareness Ties family as our Official Ambassador for Hunger Awareness. Recently, he and his nonprofit, Caterina’s Club, along with his team at the Anaheim White House surpassed their 1 millionth meal served during the COVID-19 pandemic. -Allié

Sir Bruno Serato arrived in the U.S. from his native Italy speaking no English with only $200 in his pocket. Through hard work and determination, he worked his way up from busboy to owner of the critically acclaimed Anaheim White House restaurant, whose patrons include U.S. Presidents, sports stars and celebrities. But it’s his work with children that has earned him an international reputation. Serato launched the nonprofit in 2005 after he and his mother, Caterina, visited a local Boys and Girls Club. There, they saw a 7-year-old boy eating a bag of potato chips and when she learned that the snack was all he had for dinner, she instructed her son to head back to the restaurant and feed the children pasta. What started with 1 meal has turned into now feeding some 5,000 children daily, more than 3M million meals have been served, and the need keeps growing. Caterina’s Club (www.caterinasclub.org) is currently serving 90 sites in 30 cities.

He has extended his mission by moving “motel families” into permanent housing. While many of the families are working and able to pay the monthly rent for their own apartments, they cannot aford the first, last and security deposit required at the onset. He has already helped over 220 families escape motel living by finding them apartments of their own and their lives have improved considerably.

His newest endeavor is working with the Anaheim Union High School District to establish the Hospitality Program, which seeks to divert high school students from gangs and other bad influences by teaching them about the food, hospitality and service industries. The students receive hands-on experience and even paid internships in these areas so that they can explore careers in the field following graduation. Over 250 students have participated in Chef Bruno’s Hospitality Academy.

For his humanitarian work, Serato has earned local, national, and international publicity including profiles in People Magazine, CBS, NBC, CNN, AF Press, Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and for the first time ever all over the Middle East, as well as newspapers and magazines all over the world. Among his many honors: CNN Hero, knighted by the Italian government, knighted by the Royal House of Savoy, Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient, papal blessing from Pope Francis, humanitarian award on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Anaheim Key to the City, and has received hundreds of proclamations and awards all over the world. Press and speeches have been done in all of Europe, South America, and Dubai — all of which he conducts to generate public awareness of the needs of our most vulnerable population – our children.

His book, The Power of Pasta (www.chefbrunoserato.com/book), is part memoir, part cookbook, and, above all, a work of advocacy on behalf of children and families facing poverty and homelessness as the founder of Caterina’s Club that feeds thousands of hungry children every day in Orange County. We thank him for sharing two of his recipes with us this month in AwareNow.

POACHED SALMON AU CHOCOLAT

Photo & Recipe Credit: Chef Bruno Serato, The Power of Pasta

POACHED SALMON AU CHOCOLAT

I invented white chocolate mashed potatoes by mistake. While working in the kitchen, I had a piece of white chocolate in my hand. On the line was freshly made, hot mashed potatoes. I used the piece of white chocolate as a spoon to try the quality of the mashed potatoes. It melted in my mouth, and I realized something amazing could be created. After trying this out with a few dishes, I realized the perfect combination was pairing these potatoes with salmon. - Chef Bruno Serato

SALMON: 1/2 gallon water 1 small carrot, chopped 1/2 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons salt 16 ounces (1 pound) fresh salmon

WHITE CHOCOLATE MASHED POTATOES: 1 pound russet potatoes, cleaned and peeled 4 ounces white chocolate 4 tablespoons unsalted butter Pinch of salt

CITRUS SAUCE: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 shallot, diced 1/2 cup orange liqueur 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 1 1/2 cups orange juice

1. Combine water, carrot, onion, lemon juice, and salt in a large pan and bring to a simmer. Add salmon and simmer for 12 minutes.

2. Boil potatoes until soft, and then drain. Using a double boiler, melt the white chocolate. Add the melted chocolate to the potatoes and mash. Add butter and salt, and continue to mash until the texture is consistent.

3. For the sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan, add the shallots, and cook for 2 minutes. Add orange liqueur and reduce by half. Add orange juice and reduce by half again. Add remaining butter and cream and cook until butter is melted.

4. Remove the salmon from the pan, serve atop the mashed potatoes, and top with citrus sauce.

(This recipe serves 2.)

RIGATONI CARBONARA

Photo & Recipe Credit: Chef Bruno Serato, The Power of Pasta

RIGATONI CARBONARA

This dish was created in the middle of the twentieth century. I personally prepared this dish often at the age of sixteen for our Italian customers late in the evening, almost like a midnight snack. Still today, Rigatoni Carbonara is one of the most famous dishes of Rome. - Chef Bruno Serato

2 tablespoons salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound dry rigatoni pasta 7 large egg yolks 1 large egg 8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/3-inch cubes 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plus additional for topping 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1. Bring 1 gallon of water with salt and olive oil to a boil. Add pasta and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked to preferred tenderness. Remove from heat and strain. Reserve some pasta water for the sauce.

2. Whisk eggs together and set aside.

3. For the sauce, cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until fat renders but pancetta is not brown (about 5 minutes). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and reserve drippings.

4. Place rigatoni pasta into skillet and immediately add whisked eggs, 2 tablespoons of the drippings, and 1 tablespoon pancetta. Toss to coat, working in three batches. Gradually add 1/3 of the cheese at a time, stirring and tossing to melt between the batches. Add black pepper and toss until sauce thickens, adding reserved pasta cooking water in tablespoon increments if needed.

5. Divide pasta among dishes and add black pepper and cheese to taste, then serve.

(This recipe serves 4.)