The Longest Table, an outdoor dinner party in Chelsea, seeks chief of staff

There are forces in this world stronger than you or me, and one of them is named Maryam Banikarim, who lives a few streets below you in Chelsea. Maryam is the creator of an annual potluck block party down on 21st Street between 9th & 10th Avenues where a lot of people sit at an extremely long table and chatter, mingle, and eat. You’ve never done something like that before with people you don’t squarely know, and isn’t that kind of a problem? This all began in 2022 and has absolutely exploded in popularity; more than 1,000 people signed up for the last Chelsea table, and Maryam has now brought the idea to cities other than New York which evidently exist called Spokane Valley and Sheboygan in states called Wisconsin and Washington.

Maryam and co-creator Andy Lerner now seek a chief of staff to manage the operations and logistics of The Longest Table. This is not a volunteer or support role—they are looking for a serious person with (preferably) 5–10 years’ experience in operations, program management, founder support, or a comparably demanding role to do the blocking and tackling necessary to bring this to life. Pay is competitive and commensurate with experience, and the position would run from September 2026 to April 2027 (with the possibility of expansion). Learn more about the position here, from Chelsea’s very own Chelsea Community News. If this sounds like you or someone you know, email: admin@longesttablecommunity.org.

And save the date for the first half of October on 21st Street (we’ll let you know when the date this year is fully set). We’ll be in attendance this year!