Edinburg Chef Lands Spot On Food Network Show
Photo: Chef Graham Campbell, who owns the Castlehill Bistro, appeared on the Food Network’s “Last Bite Hotel.” Photo courtesy of the Food Network.
By Arnoldo Mata
From the windswept coast of western Scotland, Oban is about a three-hour drive to Edinburgh. However, it’s been a years-long journey to Edinburg, Texas, for Graham Campbell, whose love for food and cooking has paved the way.
“I’ve been working in restaurants since I was 15 years old, but I didn’t really start getting into the finer side of dining until I was 22,” Graham Campbell explained.
Now the owner of Castle Hill Bistro on W. Trenton Road in Edinburg, Graham came to the United States when he was invited to be one of the star chefs on the Food Network’s “Last Bite Hotel.”
The competition features eight of the country’s most talented chefs who stay and cook at a spooky, isolated hotel. They are instructed to bring a trunk with 13 ingredients, which are their only rations for the duration of their stay. Each night, a new VIP guest checks in and challenges the chefs with demanding requests. The chef who impresses the least is eliminated.
In this intense competition, Campbell stepped onto the global stage for the second time. Although he was eliminated early, he credits the show for sharpening his focus on expanding his culinary vision.
Long before achieving worldwide attention, Graham started at the bottom in a hotel kitchen. “I started when I was 15 years old, working at the Caledonian Hotel in Oban, Scotland. I worked there until I was about 19 or 20. I worked my way up, but honestly, it wasn’t even a career. I just wanted to make money because I was about to turn 17 and wanted to buy a car.”
“I was working 60 to 70 hours a week. By the time I was 18, I was running the kitchen. We had gone through three head chefs since I started there. To be honest, I didn’t expect to get where I am now; back then, I just wanted to earn some money. I was young, and it was busy.”
“There was no ambition, no thought of ‘where can I take this’ back then. It wasn’t until I moved to England and started working at a two-rosette (similar to a star rating in the US) restaurant that I took it more seriously,” Graham explained. He added that he never attended cooking school and instead taught himself on the job.
Graham went on to work at several restaurants across the UK, expanding his knowledge and skills. Eventually, he returned to Scotland, where he earned a Michelin star after only six months. In doing so, he became the youngest chef in Scotland to achieve this honor—a record that still stands.
His success brought him to the attention of British cooking shows, and from there, he appeared on the Netflix show “The Final Table” in 2015, which brought him to the United States. Though he didn’t win the competition, Campbell was among the top contenders. It was there that he started making connections with people who eventually led him to South Texas.
His experience also brought him to the attention of culinary experts in Mexico, where he was invited to present at leading culinary schools. These connections eventually led to business partnerships for potential restaurants in Dallas, although those plans fell through. Nonetheless, it resulted in a business arrangement that brought him to South Texas. After several setbacks, including COVID and traveling between Mexico, Scotland, and the United States, Graham was finally able to open Castle Hill Bistro in Edinburg, Texas.
During this journey, he also married a local woman, and the couple now have a one-year-old child.
Photo: Courtesy of the Food Network
Talking about his experience on “Last Bite Hotel,” Graham said, “You don’t get paid. You don’t do it for the money. You can win all this money, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about how it can help you in your everyday life. Being on a culinary TV show is about challenging yourself. I think it makes you a better person. That’s the beauty of this industry—every single day, you can learn something new.”
Speaking about Castle Hill Bistro, Graham said, “We’ve been open for two years now, and the concept is a bistro. Even when I put ‘bistro’ on the sign, people ask, ‘What’s a bistro?’ To me, a bistro is a melting pot of everything. It’s reasonably priced and affordable. I wanted it to be a fun place where you could dine every single day if you wanted. We have happy hour, and we do brunch. Our brunch is on Sundays and is more of a French-European style rather than a Mexican brunch.”
The menu includes chicken wings, burgers, salmon dishes, pasta, and more—all at affordable prices.
“If you’re not approachable, people aren’t going to come to your restaurant,” Graham said. “If they don’t understand your food concept or dishes, they won’t order. People don’t want to feel stupid.”
“They want to come in, have a nice time, and feel a little better than when they came in. They want to enjoy themselves and have fun, and that’s what this restaurant is about. It’s a fun place—even during Halloween, we black out the entire restaurant.”
“We all, including the staff, dress up. They dress up as vampires, so we make it a little different.”
At a recent Beetlejuice-themed event the restaurant hosted, they brought in several thousand people. The event featured vendors and a special menu, including bat wings, a Beetlejuice burger topped with green cheese, and a shrimp dish inspired by Beetlejuice.
The response from local residents has been positive. “When people find out that I’m here, they like it because it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s in the Valley. Why are you in the Valley?’ My answer is, ‘Well, why not? Why do you live in the Valley?’”
As Graham’s success in Edinburg grows, he is now planning to open another restaurant in San Antonio. Though he hasn’t revealed the theme or menu for the new eatery, he said he will continue using his global experience to bring new concepts to Texas.