Rhoda Magbitang makes history with ‘Top Chef’ season 23 win
Her finale menu featured all Filipino-inspired dishes, and with it, she becomes the first Filipina to win the title of Top Chef
Rhoda Magbitang on "Top Chef: Carolinas."
Paul Cheney/BRAVO
Words by Daniel Anderson
Chef Rhoda Magbitang turned a breakthrough season of Top Chef into a historic win. By leaning into the Filipino flavors that shaped her identity, her victory on June 8 made her the first Filipina to win the competition, the first chef representing Hawaiʻi to take the title, and the first woman to be crowned Top Chef since season 17 winner Melissa King in 2020.
The accomplishment is even more surprising considering Magbitang wasn't actively trying to get on the show. A fan of Top Chef since its earliest seasons, she never auditioned and was instead scouted by producers and encouraged to apply for the Carolinas-based season. Once cast, she quickly proved she belonged, becoming the first contestant in the franchise's history to win the season's first two individual elimination challenges back-to-back.
Going on Top Chef meant temporarily leaving her post as the first female executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani on Hawaiʻi's Big Island. Before arriving in Hawaiʻi in 2024, Magbitang built a résumé that included leadership positions at Hollywood hotspot Chateau Marmont and The Inn at Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos, California. Prior to that she spent time in acclaimed L.A. kitchens such as Michelin-starred Mélisse and Bazaar by José Andrés.
The Top Chef finale also offered viewers a glimpse into the personal journey behind her success. Born and raised in Antipolo, Philippines, Magbitang gained a love of cooking from her maternal grandmother, who operated a food stall feeding thousands of high schoolers. Magbitang moved to the United States at 17 with her sister and eventually enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in California, beginning a bright culinary career.
Her path to the title has been anything but linear. After a midseason elimination, Magbitang fought her way back through the show’s webseries Last Chance Kitchen, winning four consecutive challenges to return to the main competition. Along the way, she increasingly embraced the Filipino influences that had always been present in her cooking, ultimately shaping a finale menu rooted in heritage, memory, and home. The four-course progressive menu included roasted sweet potato with miso butter and uni; followed by abalone lugaw, a Filipino rice porridge enriched with abalone; tortang talong, a grilled eggplant omelet; and kaldereta, a slow-braised Filipino beef short rib stew.
JoySauce spoke with Rhoda in the week following her win to discuss her finale menu, what the victory means to her, and whether she sees more cooking competitions in her future.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Daniel Anderson: I'd love to get to know more about the final menu and how much time you had to plan it. I know some chefs come into the competition already having a finale menu in mind if they reach that point, but it seemed like from Asheville (Episode 12) to the finale is when you really started leaning into Filipino dishes. Can you tell me about that process?
Rhoda Magbitang: The menu planning really took shape when they told us that each course was going to be a toast. That changed a lot of things for me. Obviously, each dish needed to have a story and a sense of purpose as to why it belonged on the menu, but having each course be a toast to something, someone, or a place really dictated what I made. Intuitively, it just felt right.
DA: Going back to the Asheville episode, it must have felt validating to win with the cabbage roll lumpia dish. Can you walk me through what you were feeling after that challenge and what made you want to lean further into Filipino flavors?
RM: Initially, I wanted to make a simple stuffed cabbage, but the dish really took shape while shopping at Whole Foods Market. Sometimes when you ideate a dish, exactly what you need isn't there, so you have to pivot quickly without compromising your chances of moving on or winning. It naturally fell into place and felt like the right direction. I was also told that one of the best restaurants in Asheville is a Filipino restaurant. I flew halfway across the world from Hawaii to compete on Top Chef and then discovered there was a great Filipino restaurant there. It felt appropriate. There are a lot of things during filming that influence your decisions beyond your preconceived notions of what you planned to do.
DA: One of my favorite parts of the finale was seeing the contestants' families come in. Can you walk me through having your sister there and seeing that dish on the table? Did it reaffirm your decision to present a Filipino menu?
RM: I was just saying in another interview that there were so many kismet moments throughout the season. For me, there were so many signs. Of course I drew the knife with Joe's name on it because Joe Flamm had gone through Last Chance Kitchen as well, and it was great to gain perspective from someone who had gone through a similar experience. Then, of course, my sister was there with a dish she made in that kitchen, carried out by Tom Colicchio. When I turned around and saw her, I could have melted right then and there because the signs couldn't have been more obvious or more in my face.
DA: I know the chefs are allowed to bring or request specialty ingredients for the finale. Did you have any, and did they make it into the final menu?
RM: During the finale we had a separate budget to purchase specialty proteins and ingredients, which helped level the playing field. I was able to get fresh uni and fresh abalone delivered from California. They're incredible products, and I was lucky to have worked with them before and be familiar with them. As far as the chef bins go, I had a few things in there that I didn't even end up touching.
DA: It seemed like you were very precise with your shopping and ingredient choices during the final cook.
RM: That's mostly because of Sieger. He was a great partner during that time. I tend to have a lot of ideas, and having someone there to help narrow things down, ask the right questions, and focus on exactly what we needed really helped keep me grounded and focused.
DA: I'm always curious about what chefs take away from a competition like Top Chef and how those lessons translate back into restaurant life. Are there skills or experiences from the show you'll apply moving forward?
RM: Cooking on Top Chef and cooking in real life are two very different things. Once you start cooking, though, you forget about the cameras and everything else happening around you. In that sense, it's not that different. Being able to keep your composure and not freak out is important because that energy transfers to everyone around you. Time management and all those skills you already use in daily life are just exponentially highlighted in that setting. More than anything, it gave me a greater appreciation for the freedom we have outside the competition, where we're not constrained by strict timing or budget limitations.
DA: When I spoke with Chef Duyen earlier this season, she talked about how valuable it was to receive feedback from judges and fellow chefs. At a restaurant, you're cooking for guests, but that's a very different kind of feedback. What was that experience like for you?
RM: Absolutely. All of our skill levels were different. Some chefs are more technical, some are more intuitive. As a group, we all learned from one another because we came from such different backgrounds. It was really beautiful to see.
DA: Has it sunk in yet what this win means, especially considering the historic nature of it? You're representing Hawai’i and you’re the first Filipina winner.
RM: What it means to me is making our people proud. How cool is it that the food we grew up eating was able to compete on a national stage? How cool is it for people to be represented by someone who came from nothing, came to this country, worked their way up through the ranks, and then won a prestigious cooking competition? When you look at my career, it hasn't been linear. There have been a lot of hills and valleys, a lot of waiting and uncertainty. You can give up, or you can keep going, but you have to stay true to yourself, your heart, and your instincts.
DA: Do you see yourself incorporating more Filipino flavors into your cooking going forward?
RM: There's always been some Filipino influence in my cooking. I've just never really "pressed full send," as the kids say. There are so many chefs doing incredible work reinterpreting Filipino dishes, and I don't want to pretend I'm going to suddenly become that chef overnight just because that's how I presented myself on national television. I still want to represent who I am authentically. I grew up cooking in California and love those flavors, whether that's California cuisine, Mediterranean influences, or something else. But as American cuisine continues to evolve, it's becoming more diverse in a really good way, and those flavors will continue to influence my cooking.
DA: Finally, do you see more cooking competitions in your future?
RM: Absolutely not. But never say never, right? I think part of the reason I did well early on is because I don't spend a lot of time around other chefs in that kind of competitive setting. It can really get in your head. I'm not sure I'm naturally a competition person. That said, opinions change, and I reserve the right to change mine. If you asked me today whether I'd go back on Top Chef or another cooking competition tomorrow, I'd probably say no.
Published on June 17, 2026
Words by Daniel Anderson
Daniel Anderson is a disabled Chinese American adoptee based in Seattle. His freelance writing specialties include K-pop, entertainment, and food. He believes that any restaurant can be a buffet, and the key to success is to take a nap each day. Follow his adventures on Instagram @danzstan.