PROVIDENCE — In classical music, repetition is the repetition of music heard previously in an album, live performance, or in a single composition. In musical theatre, there are also songs that return at the end of a production. For Nick Berry, Reprise is something new but familiar.

Berry has made a household name in Providence’s food scene over the past few years as one of the brains behind the success of The Nitro Bar. The bar started as a cart serving nitro cold brews and other specialty coffees and is now a local chain with four locations and more. 410,000 followers on TikTok.

Berry, 29, originally from Old Lyme, Connecticut, who moved to Rhode Island to study music, is now striking out on her own to open her own cafe: Reprise Coffee and Beverages. Inside there is a small, morning specialty coffee shop PickerelA popular ramen restaurant that only serves dinner Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood.

While Berry fell in love with the professional side of the business years ago and decided to quit his music career, he named his cafe after the musical era. “For me, Reprise is something familiar; repeating the same action but in a different way,” he said, comparing his new store to his old business.

Berry joined Nitro in its early days when it was just a coffee cart, eventually rising from barista to the company’s coffee manager. He focused on testing and product development, resulting in Nitro’s syrups and other signature recipes. However, for the last year he had been dreaming of doing something on his own.

“It was just the right time for me,” he said.

Reprise will serve coffee from Enjoy Coffee Roasters, a local roasting company based in Providence and run by Justin Enis. Like Berry, Enis also made a name for himself by running the coffee program at Bolt Coffee for years. He left the local coffee industry in Providence for a few years and then began selling different coffee beans through his Enjoy brand. online and through pop-ups. built Enjoy physical space At the beginning of this year, it partnered with local restaurants and cafes to add its coffee to their menus.

“It feels like we’ve come together somehow,” Enis said, sipping an espresso at Pickerel’s bar. “So it’s surreal to see us both starting out with our own companies and him serving Enjoy.”

Enis said that in addition to Matcha, all classic specialty lattes and other espresso-based drinks will also be available at Reprise.

Some might call Reprise a pop-up where the coffee shop’s other existing location is sold out, temporary and somewhat hidden. But this model is important. Period “pop-up restaurants” It can be used to describe anything from a parking lot cookout to a chef “taking over” another restaurant to a makeshift taco stand operating out of a dive bar. They are used to test specific dishes, provide previews, increase the chef’s brand awareness, and serve as a prelude to the future brick-and-mortar location. It’s been a big trend in other cities as well, especially commercial rents It is a high threshold for a new job.

Some pop-up restaurants have been successful in Providence, such as NIMKI pop-up at Courtland ClubIt is where Nikhil Naiker had his one-year residence. Or Screaming unicornA small, from-scratch pop-up serving burgers and other plates Buttonwoods Brewery‘s toilet.

Berry sees the lease at Pickerel as the first phase of opening his own brick-and-mortar store in the future.

“I see Reprise at Pickerel as my stepping stone to one day opening my own independent location,” Berry said. “This is my chance to prove it can work.”

Reprise is located at 3 Luongo Square inside Pickerel in Providence, RI. They will open at 6am every day. Reprise Coffee and Beverages On Instagram for updates.

This story was first published in The Food Club, a free weekly email newsletter about Rhode Island food and dining. Already a member of the club? Check your inbox for more news, recipes and features in the latest newsletter. Not a member yet? If you would like to receive it via email every Thursday, You can register here.

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.