Rosetta's Jazz Cafe is a vibe on this Morrisville corner. Step inside

Rosetta’s Jazz Café has its own kind of music.

Beyond the jazz, its melodic notes dancing across the room, a harmonious union fills the air.

Food sizzles on top of a hot grill.

Friends share stories and laughter over plates of fried shrimp and collard greens.

And all of it seems to blend together effortlessly — the jazz, the sizzle, the laughter — creating a unique brand of music found inside the cozy Morrisville café on an otherwise normal Thursday afternoon.

It was an energy owners, Kevin Stephens and Kerry Nicholas, hoped to foster when they decided to open the restaurant together. A father-son team, the two wanted to fill a niche they said had been missing in the suburbs.

“I got tired of going to Philadelphia when I wanted to hear jazz and have soul food. There was nothing around here like it. So, my son and I decided to open this place. It’s greatly needed in the community,” Stephens said.

In addition to providing soul food and jazz, Nicholas said it was equally important to create an inviting space where every customer feels at home.

“One of the things we pride ourselves on is having a wait staff who treats everybody the same way and always having a smile on our faces. Regardless of where you come from, what kind of day might be having, you’ll be happy by the time you leave here,” Nicholas said.

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Seated at a table with friends, Talithea Duncan, a regular customer from Hamilton, New Jersey, said Rosetta’s fills a void.

As a woman of color, she said she’s often experienced some level of mistreatment when dining out. Finding a place like Rosetta’s though has been a blessing.

“People usually treat us a certain way just based on the color of our skin. It’s sad and you don’t feel welcome. But you don’t get that here. To me, it seems everyone that comes in has had some kind of similar experience. Here, you don’t have to worry about that,” she said.

She said she finds the combination of good food and music brings people together.

“Soul food is comfort food, and music is universal. No matter who you are, where you come from, everybody connects when they hear something they can vibe to. It feeds your soul,” Duncan said.

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Tuesday through Thursday, the café is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering classic and southern-style breakfast and lunch items, including their popular deep-fried Basa fish, a recipe passed down from the café’s namesake, Rosetta, Stephen’s late-grandmother, who spent years cooking for her local church, neighbors and family.

“The Basa, when prepared right is light and flaky. Rosetta used a lot of spices in her fish batter, and it’s the batter that gives it that distinct taste,” said Stephens, who’s enjoyed the chance to cook the many comfort foods he was taught to make by his grandmother and father.

On Fridays and Saturdays, the café stays open until 10 p.m. for dinner and on-stage performances by local jazz musicians and vocalists, transforming the mellow daytime atmosphere of the cafe into an even livelier space at night.

Their dinner menu includes Southern favorites, like Rosetta’s Jazziest Salmon, Bourbon Street Chicken and French Quarter Jambalaya, made with shrimp, chicken, sausage, peppers and onions mixed with yellow rice.

Since opening in December, Stephens said the café’s been well received by the community, reaffirming the way he’s been able to carry on his grandmother’s memory.

“Taking her name and moving it forward to mean something like this, she’d be smiling,” he said.

Go: Rosetta's Jazz Cafe is located at 826 W. Bridge St. in Morrisville; 267-799-4183. For more information and their schedule of events, follow them on Facebook and Instagram or visit their website at rosettascafe.com.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County jazz gets boosts at Rosetta's Jazz Cafe in Morrisville