Delicious, Nutritious Food – Served With a Smile
Raw
Fresh
Vegan
Organic
Delicious
Non-GMO
Gluten-free
Convenient
Ready-to-go
Daily varieties
Made fresh daily
Seasonal specials
Prepared with love
Bursting with flavor
Unique and innovative
Guilt-free and indulgent
Wholesome food creations
MEET THE OWNER
Kerry Bitner - Que SeRaw SeRaw Chef & Owner
Kerry Bitner purchased Que SeRaw SeRaw in early 2015 from Alicia Parnell, who started the venture in 2004. Kerry is passionate about preparing raw, organic, gluten-free, and plant-based food that is delicious, healthy, and convenient. She is excited to offer her customers a new spin on healthy food choices that taste great and help them feel their best. She is also an advocate for shifting to a more plant-based diet because it’s kinder and more sustainable for the planet.
Kerry has been a nutrition enthusiast experimenting at home with raw food preparation for many years. She has taken classes with several leaders in the raw food movement including David Wolfe, Elaina Love, and Victoria Boutenko. She had a successful prior career as a television commercial and news producer and editor and is now applying her planning, logistics, and project management experience towards operating a thriving restaurant.
Since taking over Que SeRaw SeRaw, she has added several new mouth-watering creations to the original menu offerings.
Kerry and her family moved to Burlingame in 2000, and as her children attended local pre-school and elementary schools, Kerry developed a deep appreciation for the community and has been an active volunteer supporting Burlingame public schools and other local non-profits. She is thrilled to be running her business five minutes from her home and looking forward to new opportunities to collaborate with and give back to the local community.
She also recently joined the board of The HEAL Project in Half Moon Bay, CA.
When she isn’t dreaming up new plant-based recipes, Kerry enjoys spending time with her family and friends, running, practicing yoga, traveling, watching movies, and gardening.
​
“Eclectic food selections & a passion for what they are serving!”
OUR MISSION AND VALUES
At Que SeRaw SeRaw, we believe you shouldn’t have to choose between healthy and delicious. Food can be both. We are on a mission to prove that treating our bodies well can also be a treat for our taste buds. A plant-based diet is good for both our bodies and our planet – individual health and global wellbeing go hand in hand.
​
Plant-based food
We care deeply about the health of our planet and all of its inhabitants. All of our food is vegan (except for a small amount of local, raw honey we use in some of our desserts and dressings) because we choose not to contribute to animal suffering and factory farming.
​
Organic, local ingredients
We use organic ingredients because we think that pesticides and chemical fertilizers do us more harm than good. We aim to prepare the freshest, healthiest, and most decadent foods possible, and that’s why we only use the highest quality ingredients. We support local, organic, and sustainable farmers and suppliers whenever possible.
Creativity and innovation
Every recipe and food creation we make is developed by our very own chefs (the founder, Alicia Parnell, or the current owner, Kerry Bitner), and is created with love, inspiration, and care. We continually experiment with new creations, recipe ideas, and convenient food options we can add to our menu. Our customers tell us they love the variety we offer and our daily-changing menu, so they get to try different things. We also enjoy hosting raw vegan “cooking” classes and keep exploring new avenues on how to bring the healthiest, freshest plant-based foods to our community.
​
Openness and non-judgment
We believe in letting everyone find their own path and we welcome and value all our customers and their diets. Food choices are very personal, and we don’t presume that any certain way of eating is “the best.” We believe that you will taste and feel a difference when you try our food with the freshest, highest quality, minimally processed ingredients. We seek to make it easy, convenient, and fun for our customers to feel great about what they’re eating.
Kindness, respect, and community support
We value and respect both our employees and our customers. Creating a positive and supportive environment is a top priority. We also strive to be good neighbors and are active supporters of our local community.
Sustainability and environmental care
We make every effort to lessen our environmental impact and hope to lead by example. That’s why all of our packaging (containers, utensils, straws, to-go bags, etc.) are compostable (except for the small snack bags we use for our crackers; we currently seek more sustainable, yet safe and convenient alternatives for them).
While our to-go containers may look clear, they’re really very green: they are made from renewable plant materials and designed to break down in commercial composting bins.
You can dispose of our compostable packaging at your own or a public commercial composting site. If you don’t have access to that service, we encourage you to bring your containers back to us in the store so we can dispose of them sustainably.
Our ultimate goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate all single-use to-go containers.
We always welcome your ideas and collaboration to make a positive impact on our personal health and global well-being.
​
OUR HISTORY
Que SeRaw SeRaw started out when founder Alicia Parnell learned about the benefits of a raw, vegan diet and began experimenting with recipes. She shared her food with the health practitioners and their clients at the Vitality Center she managed in San Mateo and soon developed an enthusiastic following. To meet the growing demand for her tasty dishes, Alicia rented a commercial kitchen space and started selling a variety of items in grocery stores.
Fast forward to 2006 when Alicia opened her doors at the shop’s current location in Burlingame. Alicia converted a small empty space into a bright and efficient food prep and retail store. The business and her base of loyal customers grew over eight years. She was a pioneer in the raw food movement and helped spread the word not only by selling scrumptious food but also by organizing and hosting raw food classes and presentations on health-related topics.
In 2014, Alicia decided it was time for her to step back from the restaurant business. She hoped to pass the torch and keep her original concept alive. Luckily, one of her earliest customers and a supporter who helped her gain approval for opening the shop from the Burlingame City Council back in 2006 expressed interest, and in January of 2015, Kerry Bitner took over ownership of Que SeRaw SeRaw with the intention of continuing to provide award-winning, quick and healthy food to the Peninsula and entire Bay Area, while adding a few new twists.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Que SeRaw SeRaw is proud to have been recognized for the following awards, certifications, and support of their community:
2016 Burlingame Green Business Award
Que SeRaw SeRaw was selected in 2016 – the first year the City of Burlingame gave out this award – as the winner of the Green Business Award. We were selected from a group of other local businesses that were nominated.
Certified California Green Business
Since fall 2019, Que SeRaw SeRaw has officially met all criteria to be recognized as a certified California Green Business. Read about the changes we’ve made in order to qualify and how we continue to help lessen our impact on the environment in this blog post.
Participant in the Peninsula Clean Energy Program
Since early 2018, Que SeRaw SeRaw has “opted up” to have its entire business 100% powered by renewable energy sources and clean, green power! Read about what it entails, and how you can support the initiative or enroll your own business in the program as well in this blog post.