A Culinary Homecoming

You can take the chef out of the kitchen, but sometimes the kitchen has a way of calling her back. For Chef Rhoda Magbitang, that call came from The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Collection, where the former executive chef returned this month with a Top Chef title under her belt and an appetite for a little culinary reunion. Joining current Executive Chef Kevin Malone, the two cooked up a family-style feast celebrating the Central Coast’s seasonal bounty. And with colossal beef ribs, massive prawns, and enough caviar to make a sturgeon blush, this was one homecoming worth loosening a belt for.

Many of the attendees arrived adorned in Western wear to fit the ranch vibes of The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern, Auberge Collection. Musician Ellis Bryant strummed and sang in front of the barn, adding to the country ambiance. Guests grabbed cocktails from Gin’s Tap Bar or glasses of bubbly and wine from Piazza and Luna Hart as they snacked on passed bites. A slice of carpaccio wrapped around a fork finished with a spicy bite that had me going back for several rounds.

As the music wound down, the feast was ready to begin and guests started settling into the long rows of tables on the Hartley Lawn. Dinner was served family-style, with friends and soon-to-be-friends passing dishes and sharing stories along the table.

Each of the four courses came with two dishes, and as is customary, the first course was salad. In the first, the sweetness of hearty heirloom tomatoes contrasted with tangy slices of fresh nectarine. A tomato vinaigrette and olive oil brought the two together with a dash of chives and herbs. Dollops of caviar contributed a salty component, the small sea pearls adding their distinct pop in the mouth with each bite.

The caviar helped dialogue with the second salad, which blended grilled escarole with anchovies and pecorino. Pine nuts, lemon, and herbs dotted throughout made this dish almost a summery Central Coast take on the Caesar salad.

Looking for a refill of the glass, I decided to switch over to the Hook Line + Drinker Hazy IPA from Draughtsmen Aleworks. The smooth-bodied IPA, with its balanced bitterness and flavors of tangerine and passion fruit, seemed suitable for the rest of the evening and the upcoming course. But first, Chef Rhoda and Chef Kevin stepped in front of the crowd to say hello and introduce themselves and the meal.

Cooking Up the Past

For Chef Rhoda, the evening marked a return to familiar territory. Born and raised in the Philippines, she developed her culinary instincts around her grandmother’s food stall before moving to the United States at 17. Her career has since taken her through celebrated kitchens including Mélisse, République, Bazaar by José Andrés, and Chateau Marmont. She previously led the culinary program at Mattei’s Tavern, earning Michelin Guide recognition, before heading to Hawai’i as executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani. Her victory on Season 23 of Bravo’s Top Chef added another accolade to an already impressive résumé.

Chef Kevin’s own history with Mattei’s runs deep. The Massachusetts native, who began cooking alongside his chef father, first joined the Tavern as a line cook in 2015. He returned in 2023 as Chef de Cuisine before being promoted to Executive Chef in 2025. His approach blends familiar classics with inventive touches, relying heavily on the farmers and purveyors of the Santa Ynez Valley. Between Magbitang’s travels and Malone’s local roots, the collaboration brought two perspectives to a kitchen both chefs have called home.

On to the Next Course

With introductions out of the way, the two chefs moved over to the grill and serving table set up on the lawn in front of the audience. Chef Kevin danced around the flames as he grilled up the next course. As guests talked amongst themselves, the enticing aroma of ridgeback prawns wafted over the lively babble of voices.

Appetites sufficiently teased, dishes of massive prawns were laid out in front of the eager crowd. The hefty prawns – seasoned with uni butter, chiles, and verbena – sat on top of a Southern-style corn pudding that lent a comfy base of cream and sweet corn. Plates of Hope Ranch mussels cooked in chorizo and green garlic were added to the feast. While perhaps not the main point of the course, guests eagerly started dipping freshly baked toast into the mussels’ garlic-stewed juices, reveling in the powerful punch of the simple pleasure. 

The dinner crescendoed with a little surf and turf. And by little, I mean the beef ribs were described as “colossal,” and that was no exaggeration. The Flinstonian cut of meat came crusted in pistachios, which enveloped the tender beef in a crunchy layer and kept the meat from falling right off the colossal bones jutting out of the dish. Caramelized figs and onion mixed with the meat’s own juices into a saucy soirée of Maillard reactions.

The surf swept in with a roasted black cod that was flaky but still brought a robust, buttery bite able to keep up with the beef’s intensity. Grilled Finley Farms vegetables added a toasted note that highlighted the fish’s koji-squash glaze and the roasty ribs.

With conversations lively yet waning and belts loosening, the chefs’ final farewell to the feast was a brown butter cake. Chantilly cream and slices of stone fruit laced a summery flavor through the rich, dense cake.

By the last forkful, the long tables had become a gathering of well-fed acquaintances, the kind of convivial scene that Mattei’s Tavern has hosted in one form or another since its stagecoach days. For Chef Rhoda, it was a return to an old kitchen with a few new accolades. For Chef Kevin, another opportunity to show off the bounty of his backyard. And for the rest of us, a rather delicious reminder that a good family dinner can always make room for a few extra guests. Especially when someone else is doing the cooking.