Hawaiʻi Island’s CanoeHouse Chef Rhoda Magbitang to Compete on Top Chef Carolinas

Rhoda Magbitang, executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani in Waimea, will represent Hawaiʻi Island on Season 23 of Bravo’s Top Chef - Carolinas, which premieres Monday, March 9. Magbitang is one of 15 chefs appearing in the season, competing "with 14 other professional chefs" in timed culinary challenges staged in the Carolinas.

The season spotlights regional Carolina cuisine while retaining the show’s signature emphasis on speed, technical skill and innovation. Main judges for the season include Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Kristen Kish, with guest judges rotating through episodes. In the episode titled "Carolina Roots," Magbitang teams with Sherry Cardoso and Oscar Diaz while guest judges Jamie Lynch and Sean Brock join the main panel.

Magbitang said the competition’s intensity exposed unpredictable, human moments under pressure. "The most challenging part for me was there's a lot of external factors that you can't really train for," she said. "Whether it's just distractions, you draw a blank page, or you forget how to cook an egg properly. Silly things like that." Magbitang added she "felt pressure not only to represent herself as a chef but also her restaurant in Hawaiʻi" and said she "wishes she could redo all of her competition dishes." She also said she "can't reveal what dishes she made in the competition" and that appearing on Top Chef "has always been my dream."

Magbitang brings a global-to-local trajectory to the show. Born in Antipolo, Philippines, she grew up as the eldest of six children and traces her culinary beginnings to her grandmother’s food stall. After moving to the United States, she trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena and cooked in Los Angeles at Bazaar by José Andrés. She also served as an executive chef at Chateau Marmont before relocating to Hawaiʻi more than a year ago. Promotional materials identify her as the first female executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani and note she advances Hawaiian Regional cuisine there.

Her participation places a Big Island restaurant leader on a high-profile national stage alongside other named competitors on Season 23, including Anthony Jones and Brandon Dearden among the roster listed for the season. The show’s Carolina setting also prompted Magbitang to highlight agricultural parallels, noting many foods grown in the Carolinas are similar to those on Hawaiʻi Island.

Viewers can watch Magbitang and the season’s 15-chef field when Top Chef: Carolinas premieres Monday, March 9 on Bravo, a moment that could broaden exposure for CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani and the wider Hawaiʻi Island culinary scene.