Iconic White House Restaurant Reopens After Devastating Fire

ANAHEIM (CBSLA) – Fifteen months after a two-alarm blaze razed the beloved Anaheim White House restaurant, it is reopening Tuesday.

The doors to the landmark Anaheim White House, located 887 S. Anaheim Blvd., will open at 5:30 p.m. after being 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 $2.5 million reconstruction was possible when combining donations with insurance money. A GoFundMe fundraiser raised more than $200,000.

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.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2017, firefighters responded to find the restaurant engulfed by heavy flames, with smoke coming from the roof. The damage was estimated at $1 million.

Owner and Chef Bruno Serato has been known for his extensive charity work with needy children. For more than 12 years, Serato's nonprofit Caterina's Club has fed meals to 2,000 homeless and needy children every day. During the recession, Serato mortgaged his own home during the recession to keep Caterina's Club, named after his mother, going.

While his restaurant was being rebuilt, Serato cooked for the kids at the Diocese of Orange's Christ Cathedral kitchen in Garden Grove. In fact, just two days after the fire, Serato was cooking pasta for children from the Boys and Girls Club in Anaheim.

"I don't want 30 years of love, of something that makes millions of people happy, to be destroyed by tragedy, I want love to prevail," Bruno told CBS2 back in February of 2017.

Authorities determined the fire was accidentally caused by an electrical issue.

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