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Kiki Aranita

Kiki Aranita
Kiki Aranita

Kiki Aranita

Kiki Aranita is chef and owner of Poi Dog in Philadelphia, a restaurant and catering company that closed its Rittenhouse location in July 2020, but served Hawaii’s local food to Philadelphians for seven years and has since been reinvented as a retail sauce company. She has contributed food writing and narratives to Edible Philly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Food and Wine (for which she was nominated for a James Beard Award), Roads and Kingdoms and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, as well as recipes to Munchies Vice and many other publications and platforms. She has created content and recipe-driven videos for companies such as Philadelphia Magazine, Sakara Life and Vitamix. Follow her recipe work, food writing and pop-up cheffing at @kikiaranita on Instagram

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Latest
Articles
Recipe
Kellogg’s Diner in New York.
Maps
NYC’s best ‘fine diners’
We are currently in the age of the New York diner renaissance
The busy dining room at Francie.
Article
Restaurant memberships: a different kind of hospitality
Brooklyn’s Francie has launched a membership to bring the restaurant closer to customers. Could more restaurants follow?
Panisse at a.kitchen + bar in Washington DC.
Article
Philadelphia’s a.kitchen expands to Washington DC
Kiki Aranita speaks to the James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Ellen Yin and chef Eli Collins about setting up in the US capital.
Pork dumplings at Din Tai Fung NYC.
Article
Din Tai Fung New York: the verdict
Din Tai Fung fanatic Kiki Aranita gives the first New York outpost of the international dumpling chain a whirl. Will it scratch the itch?
Nudibranch.
Article
How to make the jangajji ramps from Nudibranch
Chef Jeff Kim talks us through how to make the Korean soy-pickled ramps from his NYC restaurant, with tips and a recipe.
Recipe
These Korean soy-pickled ramps from New York City’s Nudibranch are hugely versatile, adding a creamy, velvety, truffled allium flavor to any dish.
Chocolate babka at Lula Café.
Article
The living legacy of Chicago’s Lula Café
Kiki Aranita catches up with Jason Hammel to talk a quarter of a century of a Chicago Institution.
Oysters conservas at Oloroso.
Article
How to make fresh conservas
Learn how to preserve fresh seafood with tips and a recipe from chef Jason Peabody of Oloroso, Philadelphia.
Chef Ryan Ratino and Washington DC at night.
Maps
Ryan Ratino’s guide to DC’s best late night eats
Ryan Ratino, the Executive Chef and owner of DC’s one-Michelin-starred
Chef José Luis Chávez and the NYC skyline.
Maps
José Luis Chávez’s guide to NYC’s best Peruvian food
Chef José Luis Chávez, born and raised in Venezuela, is perhaps best known for
Chef Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon and the Philadelphia skyline
Maps
Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon’s guide to Philadelphia’s best breakfasts
Chutatip ‘Nok’ Suntaranon’s star has been rising steadily since she opened the first iteration of her lauded restaurant Kalaya in Philadelphia’s Italian Market in 2019, before partnering with Defined Hospitality and opening an expansive version of Kalaya in the Fishtown neighborhood in late 2022
Chef Noah Sandoval and the Chicago skyline.
Maps
Noah Sandoval’s guide to lunching in Chicago
Noah Sandoval, the Executive Chef and owner of two-Michelin-starred Oriole in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood has racked up about as many accolades as one can in the city