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ORAL HISTORY
Guadalupe Castillo
Highlands Bar & Grill
Guadalupe Castillo began his Highlands career in 1999. A native of Puebla, Mexico, Castillo worked in restaurants in Mexico City before immigrating to Birmingham. He took a job at Azalea, another local restaurant, but needed a second job to pay his bills. A colleague recommended him for a dishwasher job at Highlands. After another employee resigned, Castillo moved to the raw bar. He had never shucked oysters before. Castillo soon became an expert shucker.
Today, the Highlands calls its cold seafood platter the Guadalupe Special, to honor his talent and drive. Castillo’s work is essential to the Highlands kitchen. Each morning, he checks in produce, seafood, and meat from vendors. Castillo’s wife, Veronica, and their son, Uriel, prep ingredients alongside him. After his team completes prep work, chopping vegetables and assembling ingredients for lunch and dinner service, Castillo returns in the evening to serve as raw bar chef. In addition to oysters, he prepares dishes like ceviche, shrimp cocktail, and crab claws.