Chef's Table with Poi Dog's Kiki Aranita

Poi Dog's brick-and-mortar store may be gone but its flavors live on.

What's happening: Co-owner Kiki Aranita continues to sell sauces, chili pepper water, seasonings and more via her online store and at stores locally and across the nation.

• Aranita's much celebrated Hawaiian restaurant in Rittenhouse and its corresponding food truck were among the first restaurants to shutter in 2020 due to the pandemic.
• While she doesn't anticipate opening a new storefront, she has continued to work in Philly kitchens, including at Volvér.

Fun fact: "Poi Dog" is a pidgin term that refers to the complexity of the Hawaii-style food she made, which also draws upon Filipino, Japanese and Portuguese cuisines.

Axios asked Aranita a few questions for our culinary advice series, Chef's Table:

Must-have tool in your home kitchen: Long cooking chopsticks.

Go-to grocery store: Herman's Coffee and Di Bruno Bros. — tied!

Most overlooked spice: I put ginger powder in everything.

Favorite home-cooked meal: Pork and water chestnut wontons.

How to unplug: Spy movies.

Favorite local restaurant and dish: It's Musi. Hands down. (Editor's note: Ari Miller, the chef and owner of Musi, is her husband.)

• Yes I admit bias but regardless I crave their pastas constantly.

• The pasta keeps changing but I love every iteration — the paprika sorprese with the most perfectly and delicately cooked flatiron steak ... I dream about this. I get upset when I can't have it. I'm upset right now that I don't have a plate in front of me.

Quick tip for at-home cooks: Making your own chili crisp means working your way through your spice cabinet — spices can lose their flavor so use up your spices!

• And ensure lasting friendships when you bestow little jars of homemade chili crisp to your friends.