This is Why You'll Love Nicole Berrie

This downtown Manhattan mother of two turned her passion for health and wellness into a thriving business and website.

By Nicole Berrie April 14, 2020

Nicole Berrie has always cared about wellness. Even when she worked for fashion magazines like Elle and Vanity Fair and wrote for publications like The Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast Traveler, she wanted to find a way to bridge wellness with a high-end editorial concept. So she decided to launch a website “that presented health and wellness as an editorial concept with beautiful photography, interesting subject, and, of course, recipes and content that introduced plant-based living in an approachable, beautiful way.” Bonberi soon evolved into both a website and a little plant-based corner store in the West Village selling grab-and-go vegan dishes, juices, as well as a curated selection of holistic, nontoxic retail. Berrie now balances raising two kids in downtown Manhattan with a thriving business. “I’ve learned the beauty of being flexible and being able to pivot when circumstances call for it. In this day and age ‘office hours’ don’t always mean being chained to a desk but sometimes being on the go means being even more productive!”

Why follow Nicole Berrie? While she may be seem like an ethereal superhero who lives on green juice, she is thorough and real when it comes to telling us about wellness—including how we’re not all perfect all the time.

Instagram | @bonberi

What’s the best parenting advice you ever received?

You are not in control.

What are your favorite books or movies on parenting?

Tova Klein's How Toddlers Thrive and Steve Martin's Parenthood (for a laugh).

Which famous parent would you like to have dinner with and why?

Nora Ephron. Because she had a thriving career, a son, and a sense of humor.

How did you get involved in blogging about parenting?

I definitely don't consider myself a "mommy blogger." Food and recipes always came first, but as my life evolved and I became a mother, so did my posts and it felt disjointed not to share some things about my life as a parent, too. I try to focus on helpful things, little tips and tricks we do and rely on, and then share some funny special moments like going on vacation or trick-or-treating. My rule of thumb is: 1. Is this gratuitous? 2. Will they be embarrassed by it when they're older? If the answer is yes, I don't post. Also nothing wrong with posting and deleting if it doesn't feel right!

What do you think is a parent’s hardest job?

Gosh, everything? Just being comfortable in the discomfort. Sometimes it's hard to realize a phase is just a phase when you're in it.

What is a typical day for you?

No day is typical! But four days a week, I take our son Jude to school and usually will go to the gym after that. Then I'll head to our shop Bonberi on Bleecker. Each day is different—we may be working on an event, our newsletter, shooting new content for our website/social media. Each day brings a new project and keeps things exciting. Unless I'm speaking at an event, I'm usually home by 6pm to do bath and bedtime, which is my favorite time of night to ground down with the kids. Then it's dinner and a glass of wine with my husband.

What’s your favorite place in the New York City area to bring your kids?

Hudson River Park!

What is the best thing about raising kids in New York City?

There are so many amazing institutions where we live, from the American Museum of Natural History to Chelsea Piers to Rockefeller Center. We're so lucky to have these in our backyard. There are also all types of people—from all walks of life—living in close proximity in the city. I’m so happy our kids are able to see everyone from people in finance to artists to musicians and decide what speaks to them. You know the saying, "If you can make it here..."