Nikki Tran

Nikki Tran is a Vietnamese American chef specializing in Vietnamese-Cajun "Viejun" fusion cuisine. Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Tran owns Kậu Ba in Houston and Kậu Ba Quán in Ho Chi Minh City. Her interpretation of Vietnamese cuisine draws on Cajun influences from her time in Houston, including a Cajun crawfish boil using freshwater prawns. Tran was featured in the TV series Ugly Delicious and Somebody Feed Phil.

Career
Tran moved to Houston in the 2000s, where she worked as a "manufacturing technician at a chip provider". While living in Houston, she was introduced to Vietnamese-Cajun crawfish, which she decided she wanted to introduce to Ho Chi Minh City.

Tran opened Kậu Ba in 2013, without any professional culinary experience. On the restaurant's opening night, the chef she hired did not show, and Tran took over the kitchen herself.

In 2018, Tran opened a second restaurant in Houston, Kau Ba Kitchen in Montrose.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tran returned to Vietnam to care for her parents. She returned to Houston in 2024.