Since 2017 ยท Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Strangers at one table. Neighbors by dessert.
Cultunio runs supper clubs, storytelling nights, conversation circles and neighborhood walks where New Yorkers from every background sit down together and actually talk. Seats from $10.
4,300 New Yorkers have shared a table with us. Most of them came alone the first time.
Nigerian, Polish and Haitian home cooks, one long table at Hartfield Yard.
What we run
Six ways in. Pick the one that feels least scary.
Every gathering is small on purpose, hosted by a trained facilitator, and priced so that cost is never the reason someone stays home. Reduced-price seats are available on every date.
Neighborhood Supper Club
Twenty-four strangers, one long table and a menu cooked by a different home cook each week.
Tell Me Something True
A monthly storytelling night where neighbors tell one true story, ten minutes each, no notes.
Neighborhood History Walks
Irish, Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican New York: two hundred years of arrivals on one Lower East Side block.
Conversation Circles
Eight chairs, a pot of tea and one good question. A trained host keeps it warm and fair.
Language Swap Cafe
Teach the language you know, learn the one you want. Switch partners every twenty minutes.
Stitch & Story
Older and younger neighbors make something together with their hands while they trade life stories.
Why we exist
New York is full of people living side by side and never meeting.
We started Cultunio after a block party on Hartfield Street where a woman who had lived in 2B for thirty years met the family in 2C for the first time.
Proximity does not make community. Shared experiences do. So we design gatherings with a simple structure: a reason to be in the room, something to do with your hands or your plate, and a host whose only job is to make sure every voice gets heard.
- Small groups of 8 to 40, never a crowd
- Wheelchair-accessible venues and quiet corners at every event
- Pay-what-you-can seats held back for every date
From the people at our tables
Stories worth crossing the city for.
Every quarter we sit down with someone from our community and write their story properly. Here are three from this year's Journal.
"Jollof is an argument. Every family thinks theirs is right. At the supper club, everyone is right for one night."
Amara Okonjo, home cook, Flatbush
"I drove the B44 for twenty-six years. Now people pay fifteen dollars to hear me talk about it."
Desmond Clarke, storyteller, Crown Heights
"The girls who come to Stitch & Story ask about my mother. Nobody has asked about my mother in forty years."
Rukhsana Begum, tailor, Jackson Heights
Last year, in numbers
What happens when you set more places.
We count what we can and ask guests about the rest. These figures come from our 2025 annual report and the follow-up survey sent three months after each event.
gatherings hosted across New York City and Philadelphia
languages spoken at our tables in a single year
of first-time guests came back within six months
pay-what-you-can seats taken up, no questions asked
How it works
From booking to a first-name basis in four steps.
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01
Choose a gathering
Browse the programs or tell us what you are curious about through the form below. We will suggest the best first event for you.
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02
Get a seat and a host
We confirm by email within one business day with the address, access notes and the name of the host who will greet you at the door.
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03
Come as you are
No dress code, no small talk required. Hosts open with a question everyone can answer and seat newcomers next to regulars.
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04
Stay in touch, if you want
After each gathering we share a contact sheet with the guests who opted in. Many of our longest friendships started there.
The year at our tables
A city with a festival for every month.
Each season we partner with a community to host its celebration and explain the customs to guests who are new to them.
Burns Night
Haggis, neeps, tatties and a poem read aloud by whoever is brave enough.
Lunar New Year
A dumpling-folding afternoon with families from Sunset Park and Flushing.
Nowruz
Persian New Year, the haft-seen table and a spring walk in Prospect Park.
Vaisakhi
Harvest festival with a Richmond Hill gurdwara and a langar open to all.
Labor Day Carnival
Panyard rehearsals in Flatbush before the parade on Eastern Parkway.
Eid breakfast
Sheer khurma and chai with families in Kensington, Brooklyn. Dates follow the lunar calendar.
Diwali
Lighting diyas on a Queens stoop and a sweets swap in Jackson Heights.
Wigilia
A Polish Christmas Eve supper in Greenpoint, an empty chair and wafer broken with strangers.
Guests and partners
What people tell us on the way out.
I moved to Crown Heights in 2019 and knew nobody on my block. Two supper clubs later I had a group chat with nine neighbors and a spare-key arrangement with the couple downstairs.
Our tenant meetings used to be the same six people shouting. Cultunio ran three listening sessions and we heard from forty households we had never met.
My dad told the story of his first winter in Queens on stage, at seventy-eight. I recorded it on my phone and play it for my kids.
Before you come
Questions first-timers ask.
Something else on your mind? Call us on +1 (718) 555-0143 or read the full FAQ.
I am coming on my own. Will that be awkward?
About two thirds of first-time guests come alone, and our hosts plan for it. You will be welcomed by name at the door and seated next to someone who has been before. Nobody is asked to perform or introduce themselves to the whole room.
What if I have dietary restrictions?
Every supper includes a full vegetarian option and we label the nine major food allergens on each dish. Tell us about allergies when you book and the cook will plan around them. Halal, kosher-style and vegan menus are marked on each listing.
Are your venues accessible?
All of our regular venues are wheelchair accessible with an accessible restroom. Neighborhood walks are graded by distance and terrain, and we can arrange a seat at every stop. Personal care attendants always come free.
How much does it cost, and are there reduced prices?
Tickets range from $10 for a Conversation Circle to $45 for a three-course supper, plus sales tax where applicable. Every event holds back pay-what-you-can seats from $5, with no proof or explanation needed.
Can I cancel or move my booking?
Yes. You can cancel up to 48 hours before an event for a full refund, or move to another date at any time before the event starts. Our Terms of Sale explain the details.
Do you work with schools, city agencies and employers?
We design facilitated sessions for organizations from $1,500 per half day, including resident listening sessions and intercultural team days. Use the form below and mention "organization" in your message.
Join a gathering
Save a seat. We will do the introductions.
Tell us which gathering you are curious about, or simply that you would like to meet more people. A real person replies within one business day.
- Phone+1 (718) 555-0143
- Email[email protected]
- Visit318 Hartfield Street, Suite 2, Brooklyn, NY 11216, United States
Thank you. Your message is on its way.
Someone from our programs team will reply within one business day. If your question is about a gathering this week, you can also call us at +1 (718) 555-0143.