Since 2005, chef Bruno Serato has been serving free pasta dinners to children, many of whom are poor and live in motels with their families.

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As I watched the chef stirring tomato sauce and heard her saying "dried pasta, " "extra-virgin olive oil, " "Parmigiano cheese" and "salt-dried capers, " I began to envision a brighter future for my kitchen.

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The elegance of his panna cotta with baby peas, finger lime "caviar" and crisp rice flakes was the prelude to a meal that included the best pasta dish I've ever had: maccheroncini, freshly made by the chef's mother, tossed with tomato water, morel mushrooms, sweet datterini tomatoes, fava beans and broccoli rabe.

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