Just days after being crowned the winner of Top Chef Season 23, Chef Rhoda Magbitang is proving that the end of the competition does not have to mean the end of the relationships formed along the way. Instead of celebrating her victory alone, Magbitang has chosen a different path—one that brings several of her former competitors back into the kitchen alongside her.
The newly crowned champion has launched a first-of-its-kind culinary residency at Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection on Hawaii’s Big Island. The summer-long collaboration features Magbitang working with fellow Top Chef Season 23 contestants Sieger Bayer, Oscar Diaz, and Brittany Cochran on a special multi-course menu that will be served throughout the season.
For many fans of the show, the announcement came as a surprise. Reality competition programs often emphasize rivalry and high-stakes competition, particularly in the weeks following a finale. Discussions surrounding Season 23 have been dominated by debates about the winner, controversial eliminations, and speculation about which contestants deserved to go further in the competition.
Yet this residency presents a very different picture of life after Top Chef.
Rather than highlighting the rivalries that fueled the season, the project showcases the collaborative spirit that exists among professional chefs. Guests attending the dinner series will experience a menu that combines four distinct culinary perspectives, each influenced by the chef’s personal background, cooking style, and creative approach.
The residency takes place at Surf Shack, one of Mauna Lani’s most popular oceanfront dining venues. Inspired by Hawaii’s classic surf culture, the restaurant provides a relaxed setting for a menu created by chefs who spent months competing against one another on national television.
Industry observers have noted that the residency is significant not only because of its collaborative nature but also because of what it says about Magbitang’s growing profile within the culinary world.
Before becoming a Top Chef champion, Magbitang had already made history as the first female Executive Chef of CanoeHouse, one of Hawaii’s most acclaimed restaurants. Her victory on the Bravo competition series elevated her visibility even further, and this residency represents the first major public project announced since her win.
The collaboration is also only the beginning of a larger series of appearances and events planned over the coming months. According to details released alongside the announcement, Magbitang will participate in multiple culinary experiences at Auberge Collection properties across the United States through early 2027.
Upcoming events include appearances in Aspen, Colorado; Los Olivos, California; Napa Valley, California; and additional dinners in Hawaii. These activations will pair Magbitang with renowned chefs, local producers, and luxury hospitality teams in a series of exclusive dining experiences.
For fans, however, the most fascinating aspect of the residency may be the cast of chefs involved.
Reality television often encourages viewers to see contestants as competitors first and colleagues second. Throughout Season 23, audiences watched chefs battle for immunity, survive elimination challenges, and compete for the title of Top Chef. Naturally, many fans assumed those rivalries would continue after filming ended.
Instead, Magbitang’s residency demonstrates how different the reality can be behind the scenes.
By inviting former competitors to share the spotlight, she has transformed what could have been a traditional victory tour into a celebration of the season as a whole. The project allows several standout chefs from Season 23 to showcase their talents together while highlighting the friendships and professional respect that developed during the competition.
In many ways, the residency reflects a central truth of the culinary industry: while competition may create memorable television, collaboration is often what drives chefs forward. For Rhoda Magbitang, that philosophy appears to be guiding the very first chapter of her post-Top Chef career.
Rather than defining her victory by who she defeated, she is choosing to define it by who she brings with her.
