Draft:Kiki Aranita

Kiki Aranita is a chef, food writer, editor, and founder of the Poi Dog line of sauces. She holds a Bachelor's degree from New York University and two Master's degrees from the City University of New York's Graduate Center and Bryn Mawr College. A former classicist, she published an academic article on the use of literary mechanics by the Roman historiographer Livy while in graduate school.

Poi Dog
After leaving a graduate program in Classics at Bryn Mawr College, she and a then-business partner opened Poi Dog Snack Shop, a food truck based in Philadelphia, PA that was committed to the exposure of Hawai'ian cuisine. Poi Dog the food truck grew into a catering business and then opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Philadelphia's Rittenhouse neighborhood in 2017. The restaurant was closed in 2020 as a result of the COVID pandemic's effect on the restaurant industry.

In 2020, Aranita started a line of sauces bearing the same name as her former food truck and restaurant. This line of retail sauces is inspired by Poi Dog's Hawai'i-style cuisine and is available across the nation. The sauces include Chili Peppah Water, Guava Katsu, and Huli, with Huli also offered in a food service format.

In 2022, her article on closing Poi Dog the restaurant was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Media award.

Throughout her journey, Aranita has dedicated herself to showcasing underrepresented cuisines from diverse cultures and strengthening partnerships with fellow chefs. She has been involved in chef residencies at Jose Garces' Volver, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bok Bar and more.

Journalism career
The 2022 James Beard Award Nomination opened the doors for her as a contributor to Food and Wine.

Aranita has been a feature writer for the mothly column, The Next Course, of San Pellegrino's Fine Dining Lovers and a frequent contributor to Food & Wine Magazine. She has written many food articles and personal and travel essays for many publications and platforms that include, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Roads and Kingdoms.

She focuses on the intersection of food systems and climate change in her reporting for The Guardian.

Articles

 * 'Sugar is brown!': there's more to the sweet stuff than its pure white version, The Guardian, May 2024
 * Hawaiian scientist quests to find and save the state's distinctive sugarcanes, The Guardian, April 2024
 * American Truffles Are Right Under Your Nose and They're About to Be Everywhere, Food and Wine, May 2024
 * There Is Something Primal About Our Love for Cups, Food and Wine, February 2024
 * Mascara, smoothies, T-shirts: I spent a day (and $500) on seaweed products, The Guardian, December 2023
 * Here's the Difference Between Hawai'i's Local Food and Hawaiian Food, Plus How Spam Fits Into All of It, Food and Wine, November 2022
 * The Fine Art of Asking a Chef to Donate to Your Event or Fundraiser, Food and Wine, May 2022
 * From Ancient Rome to New Nordic: The Interrupted Legacy of Garum, Fine Dining Lovers, January 2022
 * Secrets of a Professional Palate, Food and Wine, October 2021
 * Butter Mochi Will Help You Win Every Potluck, Food and Wine, October 2021
 * How It Feels to Close Your Restaurant For Good, Food and Wine, August 2020
 * Through Poi Dog, we worked to perpetuate a culture of aloha, The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 2020
 * Sham Spam: Prettified and de-porkified, Hawaii's favorite musubi is adapted for halal fine dining, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, April 2020
 * Congee: The Ultimate Comfort Food, Edible Philly, March 2020

Awards

 * 2022 - James Beard Foundation Media Award nominee
 * 2023 - The M.F.K. Fisher Prize (Les Dames d'Escoffier Intl) for food writing.