Business Monday: CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani welcomes 1st woman executive chef; Culinary Classic returns Labor Day weekend

One of Hawai‘i’s most legendary restaurants at a Big Island resort finally has a woman’s touch at the pass.

CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani, a resort in the Auberge Resorts Collection, welcomed Chef Rhoda Magbitang to its kitchen ‘ohana on Aug. 1.

She is the restaurant’s new executive chef and the first woman to lead culinary experiences at the CanoeHouse.

Magbitang was born and raised in the Philippines and arrived on the Big Island by way of Los Olivos, Calif., where she was executive chef for The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, another Auberge resort.

Her passions for sustainability and local culture inspire her creative yet approachable take on cooking — a cleverness that earned prestigious Michelin Guide recognition in 2023 for Mattei’s Tavern, just months after its opening.

Magbitang’s culinary experience dates back to her childhood, when she cooked for her five siblings as part of her daily chores.

She later went on to work for world-renowned chefs including José Andrés, Suzanne Goin and Josiah Citrin, quickly establishing herself as a leader in the food and beverage industry and ascending the ranks to become executive chef at two of the most iconic hotels in Los Angeles: The Chateau Marmont and Petit Ermitage.

Magbitang was recently featured on the PBS docuseries “Hope in the Water,” spotlighting her collaboration with a local aquafarm in Santa Barbara, Calif., and her creative use of uni and abalone as sustainable ingredients.

She will carry on the CanoeHouse’s legacy as the birthplace of Hawai‘i regional cuisine, a major food movement in the 1990s that shifted focus to locally-sourced ingredients and cultural influences of the Hawaiian Islands.

Pioneered by former CanoeHouse chef Alan Wong, and later modernized by his successor Allen Hess, the culinary movement continues to live on at Mauna Lani.

Magbitang will also be at Mauna Lani’s upcoming Culinary Classic food festival during Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29 through Sept. 2.

The four-day celebration of food is in its second year and features iconic Hawaiian chefs such as Lee Anne Wong, Sheldon Simeon and Allen Hess. They will be joined by James Beard-winning chefs from throughout America to benefit Big Island nonprofit Māla‘ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School.

This one-of-a-kind festival connects chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, friends and neighbors in the spirit of culinary creativity.

There are several events scheduled throughout the weekend, from Omakase, The Blue Ribbon Experience and Chefs on the Beach to the Pa‘ina Mauna Lani Lu‘au and South Seas Libations.

For more information and ticket prices, click here.

Mauna Lani is located at 68-1400 Mauna Lani Drive on the South Kohala Coast.