Our Team
Heather Haxo Phillips – Principal and Founder
Heather is an accomplished and passionate raw vegan food chef and Bay Area native. She is the primary raw food instructor for the Bay Area’s leading raw restaurant Café Gratitude, as well as several Whole Foods markets in the area. Through Raw Bay Area Heather offers raw food coaching, classes and special events to inspire and educate people about the power of raw food. Heather is a certified raw food chef/instructor and graduate of the Living Light Culinary Arts Institute. Her holistic approach to food and well-being makes Heather a very popular speaker for participants at all skill levels. Students say Heather’s classes are informative, extremely well-presented, easy to follow and fun! You can check out what Cafe Gratitude says about Heather’s classes here. Heather is also a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor, teaching in the East Bay. Before launching Raw Bay Area three years ago, Heather spent 10+ years in the non-profit sector as an executive director, fundraiser and event planner. She is a graduate of Harvard College.
Bashir Anastas – Co-founder
Bashir handles everything from managing financial decisions, handling tech issues, and, as the company sherpa, providing the physical brawn for daily operations. You will find him working with his own company, Holy Land Olive Oil, which sells fair trade products from Palestine. As the life of the party, Bashir’s unwavering charm makes him adored by all! It could also be the homemade chai tea he’s always brewing—trust us, it’s that good.
Caroline Miazgowicz – Intern
Caroline is an east-coast transplant from Miami where she grew up on Cuban coffee, local mangoes and snorkeling in the Keys. After graduating from the University of Florida in 2010, she joined AmeriCorps where she tutored in an elementary school and specialized in nutrition education. While she may be the only person without an iPhone, she stays organized with an old-fashioned agenda book, diligently writing notes by hand. Her move to the bay area continues to inspire her with natural beauty, loads of vegan options and progressive thinkers.
Krissa Schwartz – Intern
Krissa is a certified Nutrition Educator who joined the Raw Bay Area team in December of 2010. She was born and raised in the Bay Area and has a passion for food. She strives to support others in achieving better health! Krissa got her B.S. in nutrition from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and then continued her education at Bauman College where she was certified as a Nutrition Educator. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga, being outdoors, and experimenting in the kitchen. With an adventurous spirit she is always up for trying something new!
Jessica Rayfield – Special Projects
Jessica joined the Raw Bay Area team in August of 2009 as an intern. Jessica soon became the lead class assistant, organized class curriculum, and catering Raw Bay Area events and retreats. Her passion for nutrition was what led her to attending Johnson & Wales University in her hometown of Denver, Colorado where she received a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Nutrition in 2007. When she is not developing new skills and recipes in the area of nutritious vegan and raw cuisine, she designs high-end wedding cakes for Cake Coquette in San Francisco. She spends the majority of her spare time singing in the car and searching for her kitty Senor, who likes to hide in pillowcases around the house.
Community Partners
Whole Foods Market, Cafe Gratitude, the East Bay Raw Food Meetup and many other Meetup organizations.
