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There was a point when Rhoda Magbitang almost never became a chef. Born and raised in Antipolo City, Rizal, Magbitang moved to the US as a teenager to initially pursue a career as a teacher. But life had other plans for her, as she eventually made a pivot that paid off in dividends.
Over the years, she slowly made a name for herself in the US culinary scene, but the Filipina chef experienced a kind of accomplishment few can relate to when she won Top Chef season 23, becoming the first Filipina ever and the first woman to do so in years. The achievement landed Magbitang in vaunted territory, but behind that win came years of experience, understanding, and a realization of how cooking is so much more than what it seems on the surface.
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Rhoda Magbitang on Her Top Chef Journey
“I think the whole month has just been a whirlwind,” she tells MEGA Asia from her home in Hawai’i. Since being announced as the winner of Top Chef season 23, Magbitang has earned her fair share of attention, from fans flocking to her social media pages to media appearances and a slew of other prizes she’ll get to savor over the coming months.
Magbitang admits that all the attention has been a bit overwhelming in a good way. But what’s interesting about where the chef currently finds herself is that she knew it was coming. Season 23 wrapped filming in October 2025, and Magbitang already knew then that she had won the show. What followed was months of secrecy and trying to privately prepare herself for the moment. “You would think you’d have a lot of time to prepare yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally for everything that was about to come. And it just really doesn’t play out like that,” she says about her newfound attention.
While she appreciates how her adoptive home of Hawai’i has kept her grounded in the midst of her win, ungrateful is nowhere near how Magbitang is feeling- more on savoring a life pre-Top Chef. “I think it’s nice to just sort of know that you won something pretty significant and just kind of hold on to things that are normal, your old life, and knowing that that’s coming to an end at some point.”
To win one of the biggest cooking competition shows in the world is no easy feat. But what makes Magbitang’s achievement even more impressive is that her journey on the show was anything but a straight line. Initially, she came out of the gate as an early frontrunner by winning the first two elimination challenges. But shockingly, she was eliminated in episode 5.
“It takes a certain amount of mental fortitude and tenacity to get back into the game, so to speak,” Magbitang shares, looking back on her time on the show. “I’ve never really done any cooking competitions before Top Chef. And you sort of realize that, whether this is something that you want or not, you have to make a decision.” Magbitang had one last chance to return with Last Chance Kitchen, a secondary competition where eliminated chefs compete for a chance to get back into the show. Sure enough, Magbitang worked her way back into the competition, eventually securing her return in episode 9.
As physically draining as being on Top Chef can be, and with the added pressure that one mistake could mean the end of her redemption ticket, Magbitang sees that moment as one of personal reflection and determination. “Coming out of the gates super strong, and then getting eliminated a few episodes later, and then doing the Last Chance Kitchen bit, there’s a lot of introspection that needed to happen, understanding how much I really want it, and how much I’m willing to work for it.”
That hard work paid off. And with that once-in-a-lifetime experience comes a pantry’s worth of lessons, including how hard it is to actually cook for a televised cooking show. “Cooking on TV and cooking in real life are very different things,” Magbitang points out. “And I think a lot of people don’t have that separation, especially if you’re watching on your couch.
Viewers and fans can have their opinions on why contestants make certain mistakes that seem avoidable. However, Magbitang understands that those simple missteps happen because of the added stress and pressures of the competition. “There are a lot of factors that go into cooking on television. The people who cook with cameras around- it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Above all, what Magbitang is most proud of about her journey on Top Chef is what her victory means in terms of representation. “There are a lot of young people who watch the show. A lot of young kids came to my restaurant, and they asked to meet me because they watched the show. To me, that’s very significant, being able to be like a role model for either aspiring chefs or the younger generation.”
In a time when instant gratification has become the norm, Magbitang, who herself is a product of non-linear success, hopes that her win serves as an example to people that success in the culinary world needs to be paired with the right intentions. “Being someone that young people can look up to and aspire to, and being able to represent Filipinos, and especially young aspiring female chefs, is a pretty cool thing.”
Rhoda Magbitang on Her Filipino Roots
Magbitang didn’t just compete as a contestant representing the state of Hawai’i but also as a Filipina who brought her heritage and culture to the competition. Even though Magbitang is currently based in the US, she’s in regular contact with her family back in the Philippines, and they couldn’t be happier for her success. “We talk all the time. They’re so proud. It brings a different kind of pride and joy that occupies a lot of Filipino parents’ minds. I’m pretty happy with the reaction of my family and how they’re taking the whole thing.” She says she hopes to return to the Philippines soon, especially since she last went to the country in 2017.
Aside from a long-awaited reunion with her family, Magbitang also hopes to use her trip to experience the growing culinary scene in the country. “I know that there are a lot of really great restaurants now. And these young chefs who have learned from classic kitchens abroad would come home and sort of take their talents and really showcase that to the Philippine masses. And I’m so proud. I loved seeing it. I love watching it from a distance. And I can’t wait to experience it myself.”
Even before Top Chef, Magbitang was already showing those in the culinary world that she had a gift for cooking. She enrolled at the famed Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, while her resume is filled with stints at several acclaimed and Michelin-star-winning restaurants and kitchens, such as Mélisse, Suzanne Goin’s A.O.C., Bazaar by José Andrés, Chateau Marmont, and République.
When she moved to Hawai’i, she became the executive chef of the oceanfront restaurant CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, becoming the first woman to do so, a position she still holds today. Working at top restaurants and attaining high and often history-making positions in the kitchen are things Magbitang is no stranger to. It’s these experiences that taught the Filipina chef how varied cooking is. “All of these kitchens shaped me to be who I am now, which is that I’m always up for ideas. I’m always open-minded. I’m always willing to learn, even to this point.”
While some may see cooking as just following a recipe and ingredient list to the letter, Magbitang understands it as a combination of tradition, experimentation, and expression. There’s never just one way to cook, make, or bake something, and that’s what Magbitang loves about the craft. As she puts it, “Being in kitchens that are so different from each other is so important. And being able to see techniques applied in a myriad of ways, it’s also really just so beneficial.”
This idea is also something Magbitang hopes the next generation of chefs will learn. She doesn’t see focusing on one goal or fixating on a single path as inherently bad, but Magbitang is an advocate for keeping an open mind when it comes to culinary and cuisine. “What’s helped me out is traveling, tasting, and exploring. The open-mindedness of it all and being willing to hear out ideas and suggestions.”
Also, where that education comes from is something that people shouldn’t be selective about, according to Magbitang. As important as it is to have chef mentors, even dishwashers have a role to play in your growth. Magbitang herself credits dishwashers as some of the first people who helped her out when she was starting in Los Angeles and who showed her the ropes of navigating the kitchen and ways to improve her work. “You can’t be stuck. And you need to be able to listen and observe. Understand what’s going on all the time.”
As Magbitang gets her deserved time in the spotlight, she stands tall as another Filipina making waves on the global stage and proof that Filipinos and Philippine cuisine can hold their own internationally. She won Top Chef, after all, by preparing her take on Filipino food. And speaking of Filipino food, if there’s one local dish Magbitang thinks deserves more attention, she turns to one her grandmother made when she was younger, bopis.
It was her grandmother, who owned a food stall at a high school in Pasig, who taught Magbitang how to cook in the first place, and she looks back on her childhood making and eating the pork-based dish with fondness. “A lot of the stalls would sell stuff that kids would want to eat, but my grandma refused. She would cook dinuguan, she would cook all of these home-cooked meals, and one of the things that she would make is bopis.”
From their runs together at the wet market to buy meat on the weekends to her dicing up the pork lungs, the dish isn’t just a foundational moment for her culinary journey but also holds fond memories for the accomplished chef. “I haven’t eaten it in so long. Going back to the Philippines, it’s one of the first things that I’ll probably eat.”
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured Image: Courtesy of Bravo, Taken by Sasha Israel
Photos: Courtesy of NBC, Bravo, Taken by Paul Cheney
Frequently Asked Questions
Rhoda Magbitang is a Filipina chef based in Hawai’i who won Top Chef season 23, becoming the first Filipina and first woman in years to claim the title. She is also the first female executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani.
Yes. Magbitang won the first two elimination challenges of season 23 but was eliminated in episode 5. She returned through Last Chance Kitchen, a secondary competition for eliminated chefs, securing her way back into the main competition by episode 9.
Bopis is a Filipino dish made from diced pork lungs, traditionally paired with home-cooked meals like dinuguan. Magbitang learned to cook it from her grandmother, who ran a food stall at a high school in Pasig, and considers it a childhood comfort dish.
Magbitang trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California, and worked in acclaimed and Michelin-recognized kitchens including Mélisse, Suzanne Goin’s A.O.C., Bazaar by José Andrés, Chateau Marmont, and République before becoming executive chef at CanoeHouse in Hawai’i.
Magbitang sees her win as significant for representation, citing young fans and aspiring chefs who have approached her after watching the show. She hopes her journey, including her non-linear path to success, inspires young Filipino chefs and aspiring female cooks.
