Tech

Here's The Incredible Lunch Employees At New York Startup Stack Exchange Eat Every Day

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stack exchange chefs
Phil Sireci and Shanna Sobel in the Stack Exchange kitchen.   Madeline Stone/Business Insider

We've heard a lot about the crazy perks tech startups offer their employees. 

But at Stack Exchange, a Financial District-based startup that hosts a network of question-and-answer sites, chefs Phil Sireci and Shanna Sobel serve up some amazing meals that top them all. 

From company favorite "breakfast for lunch" to gourmet duck l'orange, Sireci and Sobel make sure that no Stacker is ever left hungry or unsatisfied. 

"The good thing about this place is that it's not really lunch. We cook dinner that just happens to be at lunchtime," Sireci said to Business Insider. "I look at this as a special every day."

We took a lunchtime trip to Stack Exchange to meet Sireci and Sobel. We were blown away by what they're doing in this startup's kitchen. 

Welcome to the Stack Exchange kitchen, in New York's Financial District.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Meet Phil Sireci and Shanna Sobel. The Stack Exchange chefs are not usually this intimidating.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Shanna's a huge Dave Matthews Band fan, hence the fire dancer stickers. She played their music in the kitchen so much that now Phil likes them, too.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

You really can't beat the view from up here on the 28th floor. Phil usually arrives at around 5:30 a.m. to watch the sunrise and start prep for the day's meal.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

We arrived at 11:40, when they were finishing up prep work for the day's lunch. On the menu: shoyu marinated chicken, miso butter swordfish, vegetable dumplings, ginger garlic bok choy, and shishito peppers.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

This isn't even all of the food they cooked for the day. In total, they used 20 chickens, 25 pounds of swordfish, 200 pounds of shishito peppers, and 300 dumplings to feed the company's 100 or so employees.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

The rest of the food is keeping warm in here. In keeping with the building's fire codes, all of the kitchen's appliances are electric.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

And for dessert, Shanna made creamsicle panna cotta, a mix of passionfruit and vanilla flavors.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Once everything's ready, they put the food in these serving dishes out in the eating area.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

It all looked amazing.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Here are those dumplings, the vegetarian option for the day.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

The chicken is coated in a marinade similar to soy sauce.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Here's the swordfish, served with miso butter.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

And the bok choy and shishito peppers.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

There's also this salad bar that changes every day. The daily menu is on display as well.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Here's the lunch room where everyone eats together.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Once the food is out, the office manager sends out an email to the office, and everyone forms a line to grab some grub.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

My plate of food looks fresh and delicious.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

The pair poses in front of their health department 'A' rating, which some Stackers gave a little upgrade.

stack exchange chefs
Madeline Stone/Business Insider

Now see inside another NYC startup with some cool digs.

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Courtesy of Homepolish

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Madeline was a correspondent covering e-commerce companies including Shopify, Amazon, Temu, and Shein. She also wrote about e-commerce startups and online seller communities. She previously edited stories for the retail section. Before that, she wrote for the executive lifestyle and tech verticals, where she reported on luxury real estate, restaurants, and travel. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame with majors in American Studies and Spanish. She is based in the Northeast.Have a tip? Contact Madeline via Signal at mlstone.04. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Read some of her work here:— Wealth Assistants claimed it would help its clients make money on Amazon. Clients said they 'lost everything' instead.— The DTC fraternity: In an industry known for lively events and strong online communities, women say they feel left outBlackface, booze, and blurred lines at the $2 billion tech firm Rokt— Meet 38 members of the 'Shopify Mafia' who embraced the e-commerce giant's entrepreneurial spirit and launched their own companies— Read the essay Shopify's CEO sent to managers to remind them they are a sports team, not a family. It shows the growing tension between leaders and employees in the corporate world.— Ex-Shopify and Deliverr workers say layoffs, compensation issues at Flexport capped a 15-month rollercoaster: 'Honestly a bit relieved that it's over'