Erin French is the owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a 40-seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine, that was recently named one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and one of "12 Restaurants Worth Traveling Across the World to Experience" by Bloomberg.

A born-and-raised native of Maine, she learned early the simple pleasures of thoughtful food and the importance of gathering for a meal. Her love of sharing Maine and its delicious heritage with curious dinner guests and new friends alike has garnered attention in outlets such as The New York Times (her piece was one of the 10 most read articles in the food section the year it was published), Martha Stewart Living, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and Food & Wine. She has been invited to share her story on NPR’s "All Things Considered," "The Chew," "CBS This Morning" and "The Today Show."

Erin was featured in a short film made by Tastemade in partnership with L. L. Bean, which won a James Beard Award, and THE LOST KITCHEN COOKBOOK has been named one of the best cookbooks by The Washington Post, Vogue.com and Remodelista, and was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award.

Books by Erin French

Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch

by Erin French - Memoir, Nonfiction

Long before The Lost Kitchen became a world dining destination with every seating filled the day the reservation book opens each spring, Erin French was a girl roaming barefoot on a 25-acre farm, a teenager falling in love with food while working the line at her dad’s diner, and a young woman finding her calling as a professional chef at her tiny restaurant tucked into a 19th-century mill. This singular memoir --- a classic American story --- invites readers to Erin's corner of her beloved Maine to share the real person behind the “girl from Freedom” fairytale, and the not-so-picture-perfect struggles that have taken every ounce of her strength to overcome, and that make Erin’s life triumphant.