Francisco Javier Rodriguez LaSanta (a.k.a. Frankie). A true gentleman. Sometimes. A sweetheart, if I've ever met one. A killer cook, a highly skilled cyclist, a huge freakin' nerd. With the dev-squad nickname "The Jank Tank," Frankie's well known around the office for his competitive bake-off spirit, love for all things media (video games, movies, tv shows, music, etc.), and his unfortunate "6th-borough" living situation (Jerrrrrsey!).

Here's a quick 2-minute interview to help you, our clients, fans and followers, get to know one of the highly talented brains behind Stream57.

S57: Why the hell did you chop off your afro?

Frankie: Ummm, couple reasons. 1) It was really ******* hot.

S57: Please refrain from swearing on our blaag.

Frankie: Right, sorry. One: It was really hot. Caused excessive sweating. Secondly, girls do not dig the afro. Guys, for some reason, LOVE the afro.

S57: What is the longest trip you have ever taken by bus?

Frankie: Bus? Wow, that's a good question. Not very far. I didn't really use the bus very much in Orlando...No public transportation whatsoever, so...

S57: You're taking this far too seriously.

Frankie: I know, but...I took the bus to your mom's house.

S57: Favorite Jelly Belly Jelly Bean flavor?

Frankie:I like the combo. The chocolate covered cherry which is, uh, one vanilla cream, one very cherry, and you take one of the chocolate. Put’em together and throw’em in the mouth.

S57: You've put a lot of thought into this.

Frankie: You know it.

S57: As a Cuban-American, do you have any feelings on...

Frankie: I'm not Cuban.

S57: Right. Uhh, as a Puerto Rican-American, do you have any feelings on the current state of affairs in the Office on the Canadian Prime Minister?

Frankie: Hm. I feel Canadians are kind of... No, I have no interest in that whatsoever.

S57: Fine. Favorite Puerto Rican dish?

Frankie: Oooh, yeah, red beans and rice.

S57: You're a simple man.

Frankie: Well, everyone has that one thing they can eat over and over and over.  Red beans and rice.  That's the thing for me.

S57: If you were stuck on a desert island with one member of the '94 Miami Dolphins, who would it be and why?

Frankie: Dan Marino because I absolutely loved watching him as a kid.

S57: I can’t believe you answered that question so quickly.

Frankie: I’m a Dolphins fan.  I didn’t even have to think about it!

S57: Thank you for your time.

Frankie: De nada.

We got us somethin' comfy fer our asses.

 Productivity is off the charts.  Business is booming.

Hot n’ spicy.  Mmmm.

Monday, June 2nd marked the first ever company wide chili cook-off here at Stream57, featuring 9 bean-stuffed, veggie-loaded, meat-packed tubs of delicious spicy goodness – enough gas power to fuel a small town.

From Ben’s multi-meat offering to Jim’s veg-friendly feast; Jeremy’s holy-hell-that’s-hot to Daniel’s Indian-influenced stew; the chili’s were quite varied yet remarkably delicious all around.

Our esteemed tasting panel was lead by graphic designer extraordinaire (and resident snack-junkie) Jesse Miksic, a prince of the palatable potencies.  Rounding out his crew of saucy spice-lovers were friends of the Mik-man, Dominic a hockey-playing world-traveling designer from Brooklyn; Anthony, a Boston-based cartoon-costumed wrestler with an appetite; and Johnny, a dumpster-diving ‘Nawleans boy who’s just happy to get a free meal without fighting a raccoon (apparently this “freegan” lifestyle of his is a legit thing…).

The 4-man scoring squad sat sequestered in our lovely conference- slash-dining-room for what seemed like at least 45 minutes before emerging with delicately deliberated scores and results, ranking each pot-o’-fire for complexity and subtlety of the flavor (including any noxious aromas), texture and consistency of the pasty and/or soupy mess, and, of course, the “kick” of the peppers and spices.

Super designer / Siberian superstar Kat once again proved her excellence-in-all-things-awesome with a resoundingly delicious Russian-style chili that utilized whole potatoes and sour cream to distinguish it from its peers.  Her presentation of carefully-design recipe cards and a full-color label only added to its appeal.

Rounding out the top tier was head honcho Ben’s beef-and-beer chili and Daniel’s curry-spiced creation.  Jeremy’s sweet-yet-f@#$ing-spicy chili (which he refused to even taste himself) won the special “hot” prize.

All in all, we were really just treated to a week’s worth of chili leftovers and a whole slew of foreign beers in our fridge.  And we’re all just about as regular as can be.