The Moth Behind the Scenes: The Moth Radio Hour
8 snips
Dec 30, 2025 Guest
Jeremy Gaitan
Guest
Nahla Summers
Guest
Anastasia Maximenko
Guest
James Gordon
Guest
Gretchen Van Esselstyn
This week features Gretchen Van Esselstyn, a culinary journalist, who shares a hilarious kitchen crisis involving a VIP. James Gordon, an award-winning author and teacher, reflects on a student's challenging question that reignited his passion for acting. Anastasia Maximenko, a bartender and counselor, recounts an uncomfortable yet heartwarming interaction with a customer. Nahla Summers explores grief through a poignant birthday surprise from her late partner. Finally, Jeremy Gaitan narrates his chilling experience of surviving an avalanche with his family.
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Unexpected Kitchen Heroics
- Gretchen Van Esselstyn stepped into the hotline when cooks were injured and finished service from the salad station.
- She turned off burners, plated a favorite regular's endive salad perfectly, and watched the dishwasher run the hotline better than she could.
Student Inspires Teacher To Act
- James Gordon recounted a student, Hawkins, who demanded to be called by his last name and inspired him to act.
- Years later they reunited on set when Gordon began acting, showing mutual pride and influence.
Immigrant At The Bar
- Anastasia Maximenko described working as a bartender and facing probing questions about her origin during a tense political time.
- The couple pressed about her nationality, and the wife then warmly told her, "We're glad you're here."