Gretchen VanEsselstyn believes that she is the only writer with the peculiar trifecta of a James Beard Award Nomination in Culinary Journalism, first place trophy in the National Pork Board Editor’s Recipe Contest, and publication of a story in Best American Erotica.
Her personal essays, poems, and articles have been published in Modern Bride; Saveur; Spork; Remedy Quarterly; Nervy Girl; the On Being blog; and the Seal Press anthology Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food. She is the co-author and food editor of In the Viking Kitchen with Chef Grant MacPherson. She received a Table 4 Writers Foundation award in memory of Elaine Kaufman for her short story, “Flour, Butter, Lemon, Heat,” and got to dance with Tony Danza and Dr. Ruth Westheimer at the award reception.
In April 2022, Gretchen became a Moth StorySLAM Champion with her story on the topic of “Books” at Brooklyn’s The Bell House.