Pinay Pride.
Filipino-born chef Rhoda Magbitang just took the crown for Season 23. Not only is she adding to the amazing lineup of Filipino winners, but she’s also the first-ever champion to represent Hawaii.
From Lesson Plans to the Kitchen Line
Being a chef was not the first plan. Rhoda grew up in the Philippines and moved to California at 17, originally wanting to be a teacher.
But once she caught the cooking bug, everything changed.
She went to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-Pasadena, formerly located at Colorado USA. She then worked her way through some of LA’s top kitchens, and by 2024, she packed her bags for Hawaii to run the CanoeHouse at the Mauna Lani resort. A casting agent convinced her to try out for Top Chef: Carolinas.
The rest is history.
The Comeback Story
Rhoda started the competition on absolute fire, winning the first two elimination challenges right out of the gate. But it wasn’t all smooth sail. A tricky monkfish dish actually knocked her down to Last Chance Kitchen.
Instead of giving up, she went on an absolute tear, winning four straight battles to fight her way right back into the main competition.
Cooking from the Heart
As they say, you can always find your way back home.
When it came down to the finale, Rhoda decided to go all in on her roots.
Magbitang grew up eating Filipino cuisine, but never cooked it professionally. It was always something that felt very vulnerable to her. In Episode 12, she said,
What if people find what I find delicious yucky?”
It’s completely natural to wonder. But for Rhoda Magbitang, leaning into her roots paid off massively because her strongest dishes throughout the competition were heavily Filipino-inspired.
We saw this early on with her sweet potato dish in Episode 1, her pork- and shrimp-stuffed cabbage—which was a clever twist on lumpia—in Episode 12, and ultimately, her entire progressive tasting menu in the finale.
When reflecting on that final hurdle, she explained,
When they asked us to dedicate each dish to someplace or someone that has had an impact on your life and career, it only made sense to go all in on Filipino.”
She kicked things off with “a toast to California.”
Her menu beautifully blended her heritage and journey, featuring a roasted sweet potato with miso butter and uni, followed by abalone lugaw, a comforting porridge her mom used to cook for her whenever she was sick.
Next up was tortang talong, the grilled eggplant omelet she loved as a kid, and she finished strong with kaldereta, a rich short rib stew her dad traditionally prepares for the holidays.
On Representing The Young Filipinas
The execution was flawless, sparking high praise from Food & Wine’s editor-in-chief, Hunter Lewis, who noted,
I didn’t envy the decision that Tom, Gail, and Kristen had to make, but in the end, they chose wisely. Rhoda won because of her consistency, storytelling, and technique.”
On top of the grand title, Magbitang made history by becoming the very first Top Chef winner from Hawaii.
While taking home the crown opens up endless doors for her future—think cookbook deals, TV spots, and new restaurants.
Rhoda is keeping her feet on the ground and taking things one at a time.
Above all the fame, she’s just incredibly excited to inspire the next generation of young girls dreaming of professional kitchens, hoping they look at her journey and think,
That could be me one day.
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