QB Mark Sanchez makes a different kind of completion
By
BRIAN WHITEHEAD AND KENNY CONNOLLY / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Hung in succession
along a hallway of the renowned Anaheim White House Restaurant are autographed
portraits of the most recognizable celebrities of this generation.
Brad Pitt. Pierce
Brosnan. Sir Elton John. Richard Gere. Robert De Niro. Sidney Poitier. The
portraits lead to Bruno Serato's kitchen.
New York Jets quarterback
Mark Sanchez, right, cuts broccoli as chef Bruno Serato gives him directions in
the kitchen of his Anaheim White House Restaurant.
KEVIN LARA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
It is through this
hallway that New York Jets quarterback and Mission Viejo High alum Mark Sanchez
walks to begin an offseason workout like no other.
"I might fire
him," a jovial Serato said in his heavy Italian accent.
No more than two
weeks removed from returning to Orange County, Sanchez caught wind of Serato's
well-publicized program: Through his nonprofit Caterina's Club, Serato feeds
300 children, many low-income, nightly at the Boys & Girls Clubs of
Anaheim.
"I want to meet
these kids – whether I'm playing handball with them or giving them food to
eat," Sanchez said. "Let's interact. Let's do some hands-on stuff;
some low-key stuff that doesn't get a lot of attention, and this is
perfect."
Adorned in a white
chef's jacket embroidered with "Bruno Rocks!" above the left breast,
Sanchez – who frequently credits his success to those who lent a hand during
his formative years – enters the steely kitchen.
"This means a
lot, because you actually do some of the work," Sanchez said. "The
demographic of these kids – there's a lot of Hispanics, and that means a lot to
me; helping underprivileged kids that don't get a ton of help. ...
"These are the
kids we really want to channel our energy and effort to help."
Approximately four
years out of practice, Sanchez – once a server at Phil Trani's in Long Beach
while at USC – starts by dropping noodles into a pasta boiler. He then slices
tomatoes and broccoli, and places each ingredient into a large mixing bowl
filled with marinara sauce.
Chicken, pre-cut,
completes the recipe as Sanchez stirs it all together.
"He's been
hired!" Serato exclaims.
After a few minutes
of stirring, Sanchez does a couple of television interviews prior to commencing
the second half of his afternoon.
Before he leaves the
kitchen, however, the 26-year-old endorsed a check for an undisclosed amount
and hands it to Serato.
"Pass it
on," Sanchez said. "When you receive, pass it on."
With the food freshly
prepared and in hand, Sanchez and Serato made their way over to the Boys and
Girls Club in Anaheim. As he entered through the back door of the building, the
children who recognized the former Trojan standout ran over and greeted the quarterback.
Sanchez took a tour
of the club, signed autographs, took pictures and interacted with the 50-plus
children before he was called to the kitchen to start serving.
Each bowl of pasta
was accompanied with a high five.
Sanchez joked with
one of the children wearing a Patriots jersey saying, "It must have been
laundry day today, right?"
Eleven-year-old Shaun
McHale made sure he came prepared, wearing his No. 6 Jets' jersey for the
quarterback to autograph.
"My dad told me
he was coming, so I wanted to wear his jersey," McHale said. "It was
really cool."
After passing out the
food, it was time for the quarterback to dish out some passes to all of the
kids who lined up outside.
Some of the teens
went deep, while the younger kids ran comebacks.
McHale ran a post
pattern, caught his pass and proceeded to impersonate Sanchez's trademark Jets
celebration – spreading his arms out and pretending to glide like a jet.
"We want to get
in there and have a good time." Sanchez said. "You see these kids,
they're awesome, and all they want to do is come up and give you a high five
and they smile. ... It's a great thing to see."
