Rhoda Magbitang

The Path

Lineage in the kitchen can be built as much by sequence as by schooling. Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California gave Rhoda Magbitang formal grounding, but the range came from the work that followed: Mélisse in Los Angeles, California; A.O.C. in Los Angeles, California; République in Los Angeles, California; and The Bazaar by José Andrés in Los Angeles, California. Before that, she worked as a preschool teacher in California, a role that speaks to the steadiness and attention that later show up in her cooking. Leadership arrived in stages. Rhoda Magbitang became Executive Chef at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California, later led the culinary team at The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Collection in Southern California (from 2023), and now serves as Executive Chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection. The arc is marked by widening scope, not rupture: each move adds distance, while the work stays grounded in precision and control.

The Work Today

At CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection, on Hawaiʻi Island, Rhoda Magbitang works from a set of influences that are specific rather than blended beyond recognition. Filipino cooking is central to her specialty, while Hawaiian Regional cuisine is carried through Japanese-inspired technique and modern Hawaiian flavors. The point is not separation, but disciplined conversation among traditions, with each one kept legible on the plate. Sustainability, storytelling, and local sourcing shape the menu’s logic. Those principles keep the food tied to place, but they also impose restraint: ingredients are reimagined rather than overloaded, and regional familiarity is sharpened instead of buried. The result is cooking that reads as contemporary Hawaiian, while still holding onto the memory of its sources.

Signature

Rhoda's signature dishes include beef caldereta, lugaw, and tortang talong.

In Their Words “I was highly insecure, because for the longest time I felt like I'm in someone's shadow. I don't know whose but in someone's shadow. It was hard for me, [but] I know what I love.”

Acclaim

Rhoda's honors include Top Chef, Season 23 winner.