Behind the Scenes: The Moth Radio Hour

The Moth

Performing Arts, Arts

4.6 • 25.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you've been moved by a story this year, text 'GIVE25' to 78679 to make a donation to The Moth today. In this hour, stories by and about the people who work behind the scenes. A bartender, an almost-cook, and a teacher. This episode is hosted by Moth director Jodi Powell. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media. Storytellers: Gretchen Van Esstelyn steps up during a kitchen catastrophe. James Gordon's student asks him a difficult question. Bartender Anastasia Maximenko has an uncomfortable conversation with a customer. Nahla Summers's partner is determined to give her the best birthday ever. Jeremy Gaitan and his family are caught in a natural disaster. Podcast # 956 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Moth Radio Hour.
0:15.0	I'm your host, Jodi Powell.
0:18.0	In this hour, we'll take you one step beyond the sign that reads employees only.
0:23.6	We're bringing you tales from the back of house.
0:25.6	We'll get the scoop behind those swinging doors and hear the stories that never, ever make
0:31.6	it to your table.
0:33.6	I love stories that unlock a room you have never been in.
0:40.9	And our first one comes from Gretchen Van Esselston.
0:46.2	This was told in New York City, where WNYC is a media partner off the mall.
0:47.3	Here's Gretchen.
0:56.0	So I'm feeling good that afternoon when I'm making the green apple vinaigrette. I'm adding the ice cubes to the blender so that the parsley stays nice and green,
1:02.0	and I'm trickling in just like the right amount of rice vinegar.
1:05.0	And it feels like it's going to be a good night.
1:08.0	The chef whose entire purpose in life is to make me cry is going
1:13.6	to be out of the kitchen tonight. And it's going to be just me and the two badass line
1:19.0	cooks working the hotline. So the hotline is where the stoves are. And I'm not allowed over
1:26.2	there except to replenish the oil bottles and the chopped
1:29.4	herbs for the cooks, the real cooks. And someday I'll be good, and I'll be able to get to the
1:35.3	hotline, but not yet. But it's okay. Because what I have is the salad station. I do garde
1:41.5	manje, which means guardian of the food. But but really it's just opening oysters and making salads.
1:48.0	But it's cool. It's like salads in fine dining are, they're a beautiful thing.
1:53.0	It's the stacking and the fluffing and the components and I'm into it.
	...

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