ANAHEIM (CNS) - The Anaheim White House restaurant will reopen today, rebuilt after burning down in February 2017.
The restaurant's owner, Sir Bruno Serato, is well known for feeding needy children in Orange County. While his restaurant was being rebuilt, Serato cooked for the kids at the Diocese of Orange's Christ Cathedral kitchen in Garden Grove.
The restaurant has been rebuilt to resemble as closely as possible the original 1909 Colonial-Style mansion and property that was converted to a restaurant three decades ago.
The main floor will feature an Italian steakhouse, but the upstairs will feature the ``B Bar'' lounge with all sorts of food from around the world. The main dining area has 11 rooms with eight of them available for private gatherings.
Each of the rooms in the 5,600-square-foot restaurant with 180 seats is named after the country's founders such as the first three Presidents George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
The $2.5 million reconstruction was possible when combining donations with insurance money.
Despite his restaurant getting torched, Serato never slowed down in his mission to feed the area's needy children.
He described it as ``the best medication I could receive'' in an interview days after the fire.
``It was my therapy to deal with the tragedy,'' he added after serving up supper to a group of children. ``They make me smile, They make me happy. I was very emotional.''
Serato, one of seven children, was born in France of Italian parents who later returned to Italy. He served a year in the Italian Air Force before immigrating to the United States in 1980 and has been knighted by the Italian government.