Lance Joseph Martinez

A Filipina Just Won Top Chef, She Did It With Tortang Talong and Kaldereta.

Article (news)

<p><strong>Rhoda Magbitang</strong> is the winner of <strong>Top Chef Season 23</strong>, and she won cooking Filipino food—the cuisine she&#x27;d never once served in a professional kitchen before this show.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781082000344[image] - 7101556.jpeg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @rockyrhodakill</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>The finale menu: roasted sweet potato with miso butter and uni (a toast to California), abalone lugaw her mother made when she was sick, tortang talong with lap cheong XO and pork belly, and kaldereta braised in liver and vegetables—her father&#x27;s holiday dish, the final course, the emotional anchor. No dessert. Just a meal that told her entire life in four courses.</p><p>She almost didn&#x27;t make it to the finale. <strong>Episode 5</strong> sent her to <strong>Last Chance Kitchen.</strong> She won her way back with four consecutive victories.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781082034426rockyrhodakill_1780330378_3910014096894883341_189562148.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @rockyrhodakill</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781082053466rockyrhodakill_1780330378_3910014110947192930_189562148.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @rockyrhodakill</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Magbitang grew up in <strong>Antipolo</strong>, moved to the US at 17, cooked at <strong>Mélisse, A.O.C.,</strong> and <strong>The Bazaar by José Andrés,</strong> and is currently the first female executive chef of <strong>CanoeHouse</strong> at Mauna Lani in Hawaiʻi. Bravo&#x27;s casting team found her. She&#x27;d never applied.</p><p>Filipino food, she said, always felt vulnerable to her. &quot;What if people find what I find delicious yucky?&quot; She said that in Episode 12. Then she served it anyway. Then she won.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781082071388rockyrhodakill_1780330378_3910014105577302154_189562148.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo from @rockyrhodakill</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@rockyrhodakill</strong></p>

<p>Filipina chef Rhoda Magbitang from Antipolo wins Top Chef Season 23 with a finale menu rooted in Filipino dishes like tortang talong and kaldereta, turning personal memory into a championship-winning statement on global television.</p>

Filipina chef Rhoda Magbitang from Antipolo wins Top Chef Season 23 with a finale menu rooted in Filipino dishes like tortang talong and kaldereta, turning personal memory into a championship-winning statement on global television.

A Filipina Just Won Top Chef, She Did It With Tortang Talong and Kaldereta.

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A Filipina Just Won Top Chef, She Did It With Tortang Talong and Kaldereta.

Troy Barrios

Published June 10, 2026 05:43 PM PHT

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Rhoda Magbitang

Top Chef Season 23 winner

Filipina chef

Antipolo Philippines

Filipino cuisine global recognition

tortang talong recipe

kaldereta beef stew Filipino

Filipino fine dining

Top Chef finale menu 2026

Bravo Top Chef winner

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