Kristine Nguyen
Bludorn | Houston, TX
September 2025
When she moved to Houston in her early twenties, Kristine Nguyen got a gig at Down House in the Heights. With little to no restaurant experience, she learned the ins and outs of service while developing a passion for the bar under Bartenders Stephen and James Corona. Nguyen’s burgeoning interest led her to Lei Low, where she learned about tiki cocktail culture and tasted a wide range of spirits while working with Bartender Russell Thoede. With some time behind the stick under her belt, she joined the team at Julep, where she solidified her love for classic cocktails under Bartender Kenneth Freeman.
Ready for a new challenge, Nguyen started working as a bartender at Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar. At Justin Burrow’s Downtown bar, Nguyen dove into spirits and liqueurs, created new cocktails, and learned to manage. After four years, she left to help open Nancy’s Hustle, developing a fortified and aromatized wine-focused bar program. She then returned to Bad News Bar for another four-year stint before connecting with Rising Stars alum Shawn Gawle.
Ready to lead a bar of her own and eager to design a new program from scratch, Nguyen joined the opening team at Gawle’s restaurant, Camaraderie, which opened in early 2025. There, she led a small but ambitious bar program that leaned into all kinds of spirits, wines, and liqueurs, including seasonal riffs on classics and a charming ‘featured minis’ section. Nguyen is now bringing her surprising, approachable, and concise take on cocktails to the team at Bludorn. Outside of the bar, she is also an advocate for accessible education and industry collaboration, working with peers to organize events and classes across the city.
