Former Miss Universe Haiti spreading message of wellness in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Walk into Callowhill Greens and you'll see a wall full of colorful super foods like camu camu and MCT oil. Each has a health benefit and all are extras you can add to your smoothie.

The cafe's most popular item is the Fountain of Youth smoothie, packed with nutritional powerhouses like blueberries, acai and avocado.

The all-organic menu includes lots of plant-based meals but the drinks and wellness products are owner Christie Desir's specialty.

She promises the maca root latte will not only give you a caffeine boost but also relieve stress and give you brain fuel.

Desir has always been into healthy living but it in 2013, she moved to Haiti, her parent's home, for a year. She had visited many times and sent her family there everything from clothing to computers, but she says she wanted to give back in a bigger way.

So she volunteered at a small makeshift school, and while there, she learned about the Miss Universe Haiti competition. She entered and won with the goal of using her elevated platform to show the world a better view of Haiti and also to draw attention to the needs of that small makeshift school.

After becoming Miss Universe, Christie was able to secure an architect engineering sponsorship and the community now has a new school.

As Miss Universe Haiti, Christie Desir traveled the world, and that's where she learned all about coffee. At Callowhill Greens, she's bringing all of the fruits of her life's journeys into a unified wellness mission, with take-home smoothie kits and a monthly wellness box.

The tagline of Callowhill Greens is 'for your well being' and it's the intention behind every product.

"The secret to beautiful skin is a healthy gut," Christie says, "it's just really about using food for your skin."

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1800 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130

610) 615-8605