Kiki Aranita and Chris Vacca of the beloved Philly food truck, Poi Dog Snack Shop, returned to COOK this Monday, February 29th. However, in lieu of the Hawaiian fare we’re accustomed to seeing from the duo, they brought us something a little more old-school – ancient actually. Kiki and Chris prepared a traditional Roman feast inspired by their classical studies. Fun fact: Both Kiki and Chris were Classics professors prior to going full-time with cooking.

They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Therefore, NO FORKS were used for this meal to maintain authenticity. To start off the feast, we were served bread accompanied by an olive tapenade and pounded herbs with curd cheese.

Our next dish was an egg poached in garum and wine from Galen. Garum, we learned from Kiki and Chris, is a fermented fish sauce that was commonly used in most dishes in Ancient Roman times.

The first entree was Parthian Chicken with a delicious crispy skin served with chickpeas.

To follow, guests were treated to Roasted Pork Belly with a side of braised cucumbers.

To close out the evening, dessert was an herb puree served with pine kernels – an ancient version of pesto.