Kiki Aranita, acclaimed chef and founder of Poi Dog Sauces, purveyors of Hawai’i at-home condiments, is thrilled to announce that Poi Dog Huli and Poi Dog Guava Katsu sauces are now on shelves in 50+ Whole Foods Markets across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia! The expansion marks a significant milestone for the woman-owned small business, born out of Aranita’s mission to deliver the flavors of her childhood in Hawai’i to the East Coast (and beyond). The current list of Whole Foods Markets stocking Poi Dog Sauces can be found at the end of this release, and online here.
Poi Dog Huli sauce ($17/12 oz.) and Guava Katsu ($16/12 oz.) are sauces rooted in Aranita’s nostalgia for the flavors of her childhood and her experience as a chef specializing in live fire cooking and seafood. Perfect for grill masters, busy families, and foodies on the hunt for global cuisine, Poi Dog Sauces lend themselves to a myriad of uses and conveniently bring island-inspired flavors directly to shoppers’ local grocery market. The delicious and versatile sauces can be used as a marinade or sauce for chicken and a myriad of proteins, vegetables, or even mac & cheese!
“This launch is huge for us because it means we’re reaching so many more at-home cooks, sauce lovers, and dedicated fans of Hawai’i’s local food,” commented Aranita. “I’m so excited for folks to dip into the flavors of my childhood on O’ahu in their own homes.”
Sweet pineapple, deeply savory miso, and fragrant Chinese five- spice: These are the notes that make Poi Dog Huli sauce sing. “Huli Huli” means “to turn” and refers to one of Hawai’i’s favorite dishes: chickens turning slowly, roasting on sizzling spits, as the pineapple enzymes break down meat proteins resulting in a more flavorful, juicy bite. Poi Dog’s Huli sauce captures these essences and memories and bottles them –producing an extremely versatile sauce ideal for marinating chicken, pork, and steak before grilling; topping off hot dogs and sandwiches; using as a dipping sauce to replace ketchup, and more.
Poi Dog Guava Katsu is a tropical, umami-rich, fruity, gingery, Japanese-style BBQ and dipping sauce with a meaty, rich and deeply flavorful profile, that also happens to be vegan! Ideal for the
creative at-home cook, Aranita has used Guava Katsu in recipes spanning trout, pig tostadas, gooey grilled cheese, sausage rolls, and more.
Aranita, who spent her childhood split between O’ahu and Hong, designed Poi Dog Sauces to reflect the mixed flavors of the islands and her multicultural upbringing. Poi Dog, a pidgin term for mixed breed or mutt, celebrates the diverse fusion of cultures that makes up ‘local food’ in Hawai’i. The blend of ingredients – from China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Okinawa, Korea, and the Philippine Islands – with traditional Hawaiian food, was born on the sugarcane plantations, where Aranita’s great grandparents and grandparents lived and worked. Today, this food feels like home for Aranita and continues to inspire her multicultural culinary creations.
Aranita’s heritage also inspired the visual branding of Poi Dog Sauces. The colorful backgrounds that adorn the bottles are representative of the traditional palaka shirts (and fabric) that her grandmother, Gloria Aranita, sold when she worked at Arakawa Store, the largest plantation store, in Waipahu.
For more information or recipe inspiration, please follow @poidogforever on Instagram.
HULI SAUCE | QUICK FACTS
- Sauce: Huli sauce
- Size: 12 oz. bottle
- Ingredients: Pineapple, Tomatoes, Tamari Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Pure Cane Sugar, White Miso, Ginger, Fresh Garlic, Shiitake Mushroom Powder, Chile Guajillo, Chinese 5-spice
- Price: $17
- Vegan?: Yes
- Gluten Free?: Yes
GUAVA KATSU | QUICK FACTS
- Sauce: Guava Katsu
- Size: 12 oz. bottle
- Ingredients: Tomatoes, Guava Paste, Filtered Water, Tamari Soy Sauce, Vinegar, White Miso, Ginger, Fresh Garlic, Onion, Shiitake Mushroom Powder, White Pepper, All Spice
- Price: $16
- Vegan?: Yes
- Gluten Free?: Yes
See the full list of Whole Foods Markets stocking Poi Dog Sauces below and online here.
Pennsylvania
- Glen Mills 19342
- Newtown Square 19073
- Devon 19087
- Plymouth Meeting 19462
- Philly Center City (Fairmount) 19130
- Jenkintown 19046
- South Hills 15241
- Spring House 19477
- Pittsburgh 15206
- Wexford 15090
New Jersey
- Cherry Hill 08034
- Princeton 08540
- Marlton 08053
Washington D.C.
- Foggy Bottom 20037
- Florida Avenue 20001
- Walter Reed 20012
- South Capitol Hill 20003
- P Street 20005
Maryland
- Annapolis 21401
- Bethesda 20816
- Riverdale Park 20737
- Towson 21204
- Kentlands 20878
- Rockville White Flint 20852
- Columbia 21044
Virginia
- Ashburn 20147
- Old Town 22314
- Vienna 22180
- Pentagon City 22202
- Tysons 22102
- Tysons Corner 22102
- Charlottesville 22901
