Kailua-Kona chef Rhoda Magbitang has taken home the Top Chef Season 23 title, sealing the win with a four-course finale rooted in Filipino home cooking. Her comeback from elimination to champion put a Kona kitchen in the national spotlight and pushed Filipino comfort dishes straight into prime-time TV.
For the finale, Magbitang sent out a progressive menu featuring roasted sweet potato with miso butter and fresh uni, an abalone lugaw, a grilled eggplant tortang talong and a kaldereta short rib. Judges named her the winner and awarded the $250,000 grand prize. According to Bravo, the panel praised her protein cookery and called the finale an “exceptional” night of food.
How she won
Magbitang’s run included a dramatic midseason elimination followed by a hot streak in Last Chance Kitchen that shoved her right back into the main competition. As reported by TVInsider, she also picked up roughly $40,000 in Quickfire prizes along the way and says she plans to take a breath and think carefully about how to use the winnings instead of rushing into opening a new restaurant.
Home base and local reaction
For now, Magbitang is staying put as executive chef at CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, where the Top Chef bump has already meant more foot traffic and harder-to-snag bookings. She and her fellow finalists are cooking a summer residency at Mauna Lani’s Surf Shack, with a lineup of guest dinners scheduled out through 2027. According to Big Island Now, fans and families have been turning out in Kona to meet the new Top Chef close to home.
Collaborations and next steps
The Auberge Collection says Magbitang will headline intimate dinners at properties including Hotel Jerome in Aspen and Stanly Ranch in Napa, and will host a Kamayan family-style feast at Mauna Lani in January. In its press release, Auberge quoted Magbitang saying, “I’m taking this title home to Hawaiʻi with so much gratitude.” The resort notes that her calendar also features the Surf Shack residency and additional collaborative pop-ups this year. According to Auberge Collection, bookings and special-event dates will be posted on individual property pages.
Why it matters
Magbitang’s victory is landing with diners in Hawaiʻi and abroad, putting Filipino food on a bigger national stage. Those identifying as Filipino (alone or in combination) make up a large slice of the islands’ population, and the community has long helped define local restaurant culture. Philippine outlets such as GMA spotlighted the win and framed it as a point of pride. According to HRSA state ACS data, the count of residents identifying as Filipino alone or in combination hovers near 380,000 statewide.
Magbitang says she will keep cooking at CanoeHouse while using this moment to honor the flavors and people who shaped her career. Expect her name to pull even more attention to the Kohala Coast this summer as she balances a higher national profile with day-to-day work on the island. For Hawaiʻi diners, the win keeps the spotlight on local ingredients and the Filipino flavors that have quietly anchored the islands’ tables for generations.
