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Bruno Serato’s new cookbook, Temptations at The White House is an artfully provocative book, featuring steamy men posing next to mouth-watering plates of food.
Starting from Scratch
When Bruno Serato came to the United States twenty-seven years ago, he had two hundred dollars in his pocket and knew no English. Today he is a pillar of strength in his community and one of the top restaurateurs in the nation. An unwavering dedication to his work has earned him “The Golden Scepter Award” for the ten years in a row, and also “The Lifetime Achievement Award,” presented by The Anaheim Chamber of Commerce. He was named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the California National Restaurant Association and the Southern California Restaurant Writers. His celebrity clientele includes Madonna, Gwen Stefani and Lionel Ritchie…(just to name a few). I asked Bruno, if he could prepare a special meal for anyone in the universe, who would that be? “It would be God,” he answered, “And He would come back for more!”
In celebration of his 20-year anniversary as owner of The White House restaurant, he decided to share some of his best recipes in the form of a cookbook.
Preparation
For the past two years, Bruno has been doing extensive research on his cookbook project. What he found was that most cookbooks all looked alike; there was nothing new, interesting or creative about them “I wanted to do something different,” said Serato. “Whenever I do something, I like to make it different.” He also learned that 85% of the people who purchase cookbooks are women.
Recipe for Success
Bruno believes that sensuality and food is the perfect match. He also explains that when people get ready to go to a fine-dining restaurant, they take the time to look their best. “There’s no denying that sensuality in the restaurant business exists,” says Bruno.
He originally wanted to have beautiful women in the book as well but, after completing his study on the female consumer, he realized that women would rather see sexy men in a cookbook rather than sexy women. He also found that most women don’t buy provocative male books to take home. “Either they’re too embarrassed, or they don’t want any awkwardness with their husband or boyfriend,” claims Bruno. “But with a cookbook, they can! They can cheat on their husbands without the hubbies even knowing,” laughs Serato. “That was my whole idea.”
Fresh Ingredients
The cookbook contains photos of extraordinary dishes that are served at The White House, along with gorgeous men who, incidentally, are not on the menu at the restaurant. Each gourmet plate is a dramatic work of art, and each model is a glorious sight. Bruno’s creative direction over the project pairs each male with a dish that enhances both the food and the hunk.
The Pasta Vegetariana (vegetarian pasta) is pictured with a hot, dark-haired Adonis, as he lifts a fist of noodles to his mouth and misses a few. The lost pieces of pasta drip down his bare chest, leaving his neck garnished with sauce.
The Langostine Al Forno (Pacific langostino with herbed butter) captures the fun personality of both the meal and the model, as our hero poses with a tasty prawn that lies on the man’s naked chest and hugs his neck with its giant pincers.
The Jackie O is a signature dessert of the White House, which is dedicated to first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. (This dessert is also Bruno’s favorite). It is a divine sculpture of edible flowers in a tower of sugar that is caramelized with a propane torch until golden.
Bring to a Boil
The attractive men that sizzle in Temptations at The White House hail from all over the country. Some are friends, some are from the Internet, and some are from modeling agencies. Most of the photos were taken at The White House restaurant, but when the restaurant was too busy, it became necessary to move the photo-shooting location to Bruno’s house. “The biggest challenge about this book was getting the photographer to understand my vision of delicious food in connection with the delectable models,” said Serato. “I’m funny and outgoing, but I can be very demanding when I’m working.”Sprinkle with love
Aside from his hectic schedule, Bruno Serato still finds time for the important little things in life—children. He has donated his time and money to help The Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim. In 2003 he founded “Caterina’s Girls Club” in honor of his mother Caterina Lunardi. Caterina’s Girls is a group of women who help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club. When Bruno took his mother to The Boys and Girls Club in 2004, the director shared with them the fact that most of the children who stay at the club after 5:00 pm live in motels and don’t eat dinner. Caterina Lunardi looked at her son and said “Bruno! We need to feed them!”
From that day forward, Bruno has been delivering 100 hot meals a day to the Boys and Girls Club of Anaheim, California. He serves over 30,000 meals a year. Bruno Serato is a human masterpiece with an overflowing heart of love. He shares his success by helping others. He’s also got a great sense of humor—I’ve always thought the moon was made of cheese, but Bruno insists that it’s made of Crème Brulee. Right on, Bruno!
Caio for now!
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