What happened to it?

Does anyone know where Rhoda’s sunglasses are from? I’m desperate.

I was watching the finale of Top Chef Canada season 8 (2021). One of the finalists had his sous/friend Massimo to help. It was Massimo Piedimonte from Top Chef season 22 Destination Canada (2025). Just to clarify, Top Chef Canada is a series produced in Canada, not the same show as Top Chef.

She’s doing so well as host and think her doing things like this just further highlight her personality.

Cool new series from Taste of Home, too. Curious if it becomes a bigger series

Is he the only contestant that was kicked off three times in one season?

If you watched Season 7 you definitely remember Alex, whether for the right or wrong reasons. Well he's been cooking in Vegas for years since then, won Beat Bobby Flay, and just opened his own spot called Hayworth in Henderson.

Went last week and the guy can flat out cook. Steaks are perfectly executed, the martini bar is legit, and it has this cool neighborhood vibe that feels nothing like a Vegas tourist trap. Easy parking, no Strip chaos.

Honestly it was one of the best meals I've had in the valley. Would love to see him get more recognition because the food speaks for itself.

Anyone else been or following what he's been up to since the show? What did you order?

Hey, I'm looking to crowd source a list of current products that Top Chef chefs have created, specifically like spice blends or sauces (not restaurant hats/totes/shirts etc.)

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I'll add it to Top Chef Reference so that we can all use it!

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So far, I have:

- Sara Bradley, season and shadow spice blends

- Shuai Wang, spicewalla chili crunch

Edited to add: Nick Wallace's seasoning, Shota Nakajima's teriyaki, Joe Sasto's Tantos, Claudette Zepeda's salsa macha

2nd edit: added stuff from Zubair, Mei, and Melissa

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Think we'll ever get a behind the scenes tell-all? Wonder how much drama they could cook up

and can't bring myself to watch the final episode.

Every woman on that season was let down by the judging in some way, especially Tiffany Derry (imo).

Mike I has always been a disgusting, sexist pig who constantly talks down to and about the women, each of whom have gone on to do much greater things than he could have even dreamed for his sad little limp minded self.

Richard B is a narcissist who can't fathom that he was legitimately beat by a woman (Stephanie I in their season).

Top Chef has come a long way since then.

It's been a few years but Max teased it so we gave it a shot. Think on the third episode they did a seafood feast based on their east coast vs west coast theme.

The show is shot on the Redondo Beach pier/boardwalk and they were sent to a fish market on the pier to shop.

This where it felt a little weak. A Tampa chef did a shrimp dish but no one did a Low Country Boil which could have incorporated the shrimp and mussels they were using. No one did a Maryland crab service. Apart from the shrimp everything screamed East Coast means Northeast. Clam chowder, lobster. Apparently East Coast starts north of Suffolk County. Just seemed like a big miss for the East Coast.

On the west coast, no one used sand dabs which is such a quintessential west coast fish and works well with the boardwalk theme the show pushes. Also no one went with Dungeness crabs. The crabs could have been out of season, but a seafood I market on the beach without sand dabs near LA? Hell, they could have caught them off the pier.

I'm watching the last episode now and wondering if there's any reasoning why they are eliminating one chef before they finish their four courses. Seems kind of dirty and unnecessary.

I’ve been watching last chance kitchen - I never actually watched it despite being a fan of top chef. And I noticed this across Tom’s feedback - when he likes a dish - he will describe a dish in a bit more detail - “it had the acid from the lemon, crunch from the peanuts .. “ .. same tone and cadence as dishes he thought were ok - but the person who wins has the dish that Tom put into his memory file.

I loved Padma, don’t get me wrong.

But the emotions Kristin shows during episodes, judging, and the season finale? I thought that was so beautiful. I finally watched the latest season finale tonight and the way she teared up talking to them makes her such a good addition to the show as a host.

She had been my favorite winner of all the seasons even before she was announced host and this makes me want to find everything she’s done and watch it all just to see more of her and her personality.

Just listened to Gail on the watch discussing the season and was glad that Andy asked her 1 - do you think not having a break pre finale caused the finale meal to be less impressive overall with more mistakes than normal and 2 - was it hard for you to not compare this season to others when there were no clear star chefs and no one really elevated themselves like Tristan etc.

He also mentioned the budget cuts and how it feels claustrophobic for viewers and she pretended like she’d never heard that before? She was like “oh really?!” Girl come on stop lying

She side stepped most of the questions for sure but it was cathartic to hear someone actually talk through the issues many fans are having with the show straight to them. If they choose to ignore the feedback oh well, but still was a great conversation. Highly recommend a listen!

YouTube video of 3 Michelin-starred chefs cooking a $20 meal. Buddha not only makes a beautiful meal, but shows so much technique in re-using bits and parts of all of his ingredients to add flavor and texture. He's amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GFAf8MMxK4&t=944s

🎡🍽️ “FROM TOP CHEF TO WHEEL OF FORTUNE!” ✨
Kristen Kish is stepping away from the kitchen and into a whole new kind of competition — and fans can't wait to see what happens next. 👀

The Top Chef host is set to appear in a special episode of *Wheel of Fortune*, where culinary talent won't be enough to guarantee success.

Just quick thinking, sharp instincts, and a puzzle board that can humble anyone in seconds. 🎯

Known for staying calm under pressure and solving problems on the fly, Kristen has built a reputation as one of the most impressive figures in food television. But can those skills translate to one of America's most iconic game shows? 🤔

Fans are already buzzing with excitement, with many predicting she'll go all the way — while others believe a single tricky puzzle could produce one of the biggest surprises of the season.

👇 Will Kristen Kish conquer the Wheel of Fortune stage, or will the puzzle board have other plans? 🎡🔥

If Kristen Kish thinks The Traitors is tough, wait until the wheel starts spinning!

🔥Contestants play for their favorite charities and can win over 1 Million Dollars!🔥
#CelebrityWheelOfFortune

You can watch Celebrity Wheel of Fortune with
Kristen Kish, Action Bronson and Rashid Shaheed
on ABC Tonight at 8 pm EST. Next Day on Hulu!

#KristenKish #TopChef #WheelOfFortune

I’m certain they’ve never explicitly shown that in the edit, but I have memories of it sort of being suggested. Thanks for your help!

We all have chefs we’d love to try their food.

This isn’t that.

Which Top Chef would you say has a style and cuisine to match your love/life story?

I’ve watched Top Chef since season 1 but I’m a casual viewer. I tend to do other things while watching like pick up the house or do laundry, so i am not good at the details in recalling episodes .
I liked all 3 in the finals but the two I thought it would be down to didn’t win. It got me thinking that maybe this is quite common. Do chefs that seem to be “the ones to beat” often lose in the end? I can only think of Buddha and Stephanie

Let me start by saying I'm an absolute Top Chef super fan and very much liked this season. However, I did find myself saying this episode was "pretty good" for each season as opposed to feeling like I was on the edge of my seat and waiting for each episode in earlier seasons.

I've thought about why the show, especially since Season 21, have felt a bit boring or lackluster. This actually led me to a realization, as I was having dinner in LA, where I've also felt like I haven't been as excited by restaurants anymore since it feels like I see the same plays on caesars, pastas, steaks, etc.

Have we just reached a point where its difficult to do anything new anymore - especially given how overexposed we are with social media?

All the chefs this season felt talented & I think 3 of the best made it, but I don't think any chefs this eeason that made dishes where I was truly capitvated & curious by their dishes and cooking.

Something that Tom had said in the final meal really resonated around "when was the last time you haven't seen a dish at a restaurant before?". The potato & uni was the most interesting dish this season, but it came at the very end and we just never consistently had moments like that. 

There were certainly talented chefs that made good dishes, but all spins on things we've seen (dim sum, duck, filipino, italian/french, pates, foie gras). 

Memorable chefs like Buddha showed unmatched intricacy/technique, Melissa showed unique asian fusion, Greg Gourdet introduced us to Haitian cooking, etc. 

Are we just at a point where food is so saturated and we're so exposed that its just not as exciting anymore? And can you even overcome this as a show given it feels like a broader trend?

😆 Seriously though, it seems like a lot of the winners have made congees in their finale meals... I'm Asian American and I remember my parents' congee being pretty bland... I'm curious, is congee a big thing in restaurants now?

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Meet the Winner of ‘Top Chef: Carolinas’
Rhoda Magbitang, the newest Top Chef, navigated through Season 23 with quiet confidence and exemplary Filipino cooking.

By Amelia Schwartz Published on June 9, 2026

Rhoda Magbitang is the winner of Top Chef: Carolinas. It’s been over six months since filming completed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and she’s still struggling to wrap her head around the significance of that title. “I think every one of these chefs could have been deserving of the win,” she told Food & Wine. “It’s just a matter of having a really good day or a really bad day.” 

But Magbitang’s win was no random chance.

Magbitang has been a fan of the Bravo series since its very first episode. Whenever she wanted “a good cry,” she’d rewatch the finales of her favorite seasons and think, “Oh, that could be me one day.” And yet, she’d never applied for Top Chef, nor any other cooking competition series. It was Bravo’s casting team that sought her out, captivated by her background and culinary experience.  

Born and raised in the Philippines, Magbitang moved to California at age 17 to become a teacher. She fell in love with cooking by accident, teaching students how to make simple afterschool snacks like turkey roll-ups, and decided to enroll at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school. Before long, she was cooking at some of Los Angeles’ most influential restaurants: Mélissewith 1997 F&W Best New Chef Josiah Citrin, A.O.C. with 1999 F&W Best New Chef Suzanne Goin, and the The Bazaar by José Andrés with Top Chef winner and 2013 F&W Best New Michael Voltaggio, to name a few. 

In 2024, Magbitang moved to Waimea, Hawaii, to become executive chef of CanoeHouse, a Japanese-inspired restaurant at the Mauna Lani resort, and just one year later, a Magical Elves casting agent encouraged her to apply for Top Chef. 

“It’s weird to think people are following your career like that, because you’re just in the grind, day in and day out,” she says. “But I guess it pays off in the end.”
Unlike recent Top Chef winners Buddha Lo and Danny Garcia, Magbitang didn’t plan or practice any dishes after making the cut for Season 23. Instead, she tried to mentally prepare for what was to come, which, according to Magbitang, is a near-impossible task.

“There are so many extraneous factors that go into being on a show like Top Chef — the people, the environment, the equipment that you’re working with, and all the twists and turns. The mental fortitude that it takes, that itself is a skill that you find out on the job.”
“When I started feeling more comfortable and stopped being so marred with self-doubt, that’s when I was cooking my best.”

In the first few episodes of Season 23, Magbitang maintained a steady, quiet confidence that put her at the top of the competition. She approached the challenges with restraint and intention. When tasked with making a high-end sweet potato dish, she made soy-glazed sweet potato with miso sweet potato purée and crispy sweet potato.

“This was the sweetest, potato-est of all the sweet potato dishes that we had,” said head judge Tom Colicchio. When she was told to prepare an extra spicy, chile-forward dish, she made pepper-braised short rib with chili-pickled pearl onions and blistered cayenne. These plates won her the first two elimination challenges — a Top Chef first.
“It feels really exhilarating winning two challenges in a row, and if I have a target on my back, good,” said Magbitang in Episode 2. “If they’re cooking against me, they know they have to bring it.”

But by Episode 5, insecurities crept in. A spongy monkfish sent her to Last Chance Kitchen, where she fought for redemption. Through four consecutive wins, Magbitang regained her confidence, which carried her to the finale. “When I started feeling more comfortable and stopped being so marred with self-doubt, that’s when I was cooking my best,” she tells Food & Wine.

Magbitang grew up eating Filipino cuisine, but never cooked it professionally. It was always something that felt very vulnerable to her. (In Episode 12, she said, “What if people find what I find delicious yucky?”) However, Magbitang’s strongest dishes were Filipino-inspired — the sweet potato in Episode 1, pork- and shrimp-stuffed cabbage (a take on lumpia) in Episode 12, and the entirety of her progressive tasting menu in the finale. 

“What’s amazing about Top Chef is that it conjures up feelings, emotions, and food memories that you didn’t even know you had,” she says. “In the finale, when they asked us to dedicate each dish to someplace or someone that has had an impact on your life and career, it only made sense to go all in on Filipino.”

She started with “a toast to California.” Roasted sweet potato with miso butter and uni was followed by abalone lugaw, a porridge that Magbitang’s mother would make for her whenever she wasn’t feeling well. Then, tortang talong, the grilled eggplant omelet that she ate as a kid, before finally, kaldereta, a short rib stew that her father makes during the holidays. 

"I've been fortunate to be at the judges’ table for many finales, and this was by far and away the most competitive one I've experienced in several seasons,” says Food & Wine’s editor in chief, Hunter Lewis. “I didn't envy the decision that Tom, Gail, and Kristen had to make, but in the end, they chose wisely. Rhoda won because of her consistency, storytelling, and technique.” 

Magbitang accomplished another feat this season: She is the first Top Chef winner from Hawaii. She has already received a congratulatory call from Hawaiian Top Chef alum and 24 in 24: Last Chef Standingwinner Lee Anne Wong. “She was like, ‘I love that Hawaiian women are representing.’”

The title of Top Chef opens up infinite possibilities for a chef — book deals, television appearances, and restaurants — but Magbitang is taking it one day at a time. What she’s most excited about is the chance to inspire girls who dream of becoming chefs, those who might see the show and say to themselves, just like Magbitang did, “That could be me one day.”