Eric Kelley, owner of Williston Coffee Shop, has bought Nomad Coffee at 208 Flynn Avenue in Burlington’s South End. He and his staff have been baking pastries for Nomad since the café reopened following the unexpected death of baker-owner Chris Johnson in March. Kelley bought the business for an undisclosed price from Johnson’s partners, Magda and Nate Van Dusen, and a silent third investor.
Kelley, 45, founded Williston Coffee Shop at 400 Cornerstone Drive more than a decade ago. He knew the Van Dusens through their Brio Coffeeworks business.
“I really like this space. It has a super-cool vibe with the brick and high ceilings,” he said of Nomad. “And it’s in a nice, up-and-coming area of Burlington.”
Nomad will continue to serve pastries baked from scratch in Williston, such as scones, biscuits, muffins and croissants with house-laminated dough. So far, Kelley said, he’s been too busy getting the café set up with newly hired manager Rhonne Fagner to look through Johnson’s recipe books. He never met Nomad’s former owner but knew “Chris was a big croissant guy.”
Johnson moved to Vermont in 2021, soon after placing second on Food Network’s “Chopped Sweets.” He had baked in New York City for the inventor of the Cronut, Dominique Ansel, and at the Michelin-starred restaurant Per Se. The baker was known for his deeply caramelized, flaky kouign amanns — a pastry that Kelley’s team also makes, sometimes filled with housemade berry jams.
Kelley said the initial focus will be on pastry and coffee, but Nomad will most likely add soups and other items this winter. “I’m here to grow the business,” he said.
This article appears in 30th Birthday Issue.
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