The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine, will soon take postcard reservations

Erin French is the owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a world-renowned restaurant in Freedom, ME, a couple of miles down the road from where she grew up. Hers is an inspiring story!

Sunset over a road entering Freedom, ME.Photo byJody Roberts from Flickr.

French wasn’t always a world-renowned chef; she was once a struggling, clinically depressed, pill-addicted single mother who divorced an abusive ex-husband. She never hid her struggles and put her memories on paper, creating her book, which she says proved therapeutic.

Stay tuned for details about postcard reservations on the first day of spring. But you can visit the gift shop now.

Growing up in rural Maine, she couldn’t wait to get out. Now, she’s back — isn’t she ever!

Small towns can be difficult. Chef Erin explained in her new book, Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch, how some people feel like it’s an uphill battle to do things you’re proud of living in a small town. The point Erin tries to make in her book is that anything is possible.

Her book was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

French has made it her mission to hire an all-female staff helping to create beautiful dishes from locally grown ingredients. She opened her restaurant in 2014. It is a bit out of the ordinary because it is located in a 19th-century repurposed mill and only accepts reservations from mailed-in postcards.

She worked for private supper clubs in several locations before coming home to Freedom and building one of Maine's most popular restaurants through hard work and dedication.

Erin French, the owner and Chief Chef

She has turned her story into a documentary now streaming on Discovery+. In the documentary, she discusses how difficult it was to adapt to the pandemic, where indoor dining wasn’t a reality.

At first, getting motivated to go into her restaurant was challenging. It seemed pointless. She worked with her staff to create an order-out restaurant for customers.

The Lost Kitchen’s Erin French Shares 3 of Her Recipes | TODAY

“Erin French, the mastermind chef behind popular Maine eatery The Lost Kitchen, joins TODAY to share a few recipes out of her cookbook of the same name.”

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The anti-hunger coalition

Erin French has also helped establish an anti-hunger coalition. In its first year, its fundraiser raised $100,000.

At first, despite very few donations and little to no attention, she remained optimistic. Then in one 24-hour timeframe, the donations far exceeded those previously received. She and the staff are now excited about how many donations they’ve received.

French cut a check to the Waldo County Bounty (check out their Facebook page here.), which was formed at the start of the pandemic for anti-hunger among families. Volunteers run the entire program. What’s more crucial to the local economy is the organization uses food and produce purchased locally from farmers and gardeners.

You can donate to the Waldo County Bounty and the Unity Barn Raisers, “501c3 nonprofit organization,” to help fight hunger.

Finding Maine's Lost Kitchen, one postcard at a time

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Chef Erin’s mission

Her mission was to create a unique dining option for her customers that they would consider extraordinary. This is not your average restaurant in Freedom, ME.

Not everyone gets the chance to dine at this fantastic restaurant. You have to enter a drawing to get an invitation. Although it doesn’t affect the reservation process or help you get a reservation, customers are asked to donate a dollar or two to the anti-hunger coalition.

Even a massive donation doesn’t guarantee a reservation, but after filling out the postcard for the drawing, your card will be entered to receive a reservation at the restaurant. With over 20,000 postcards received each year, they find it challenging to keep up with the reservations.

If chosen for a reservation, someone from the restaurant will reach out by phone or email regarding the best time for you and your party. If someone has to cancel, they pull another postcard. Therefore, it’s important not to lose hope if you’re not selected.

The restaurant will not disappoint; keeping an open mind and an enormous appetite when you arrive is essential, as no dinner is the same. Chef Erin says the dinner menu is “driven by the season, availability, and weather.” The food is delicious and held to a high standard, and the personality of Erin French brings a top-notch experience you certainly won’t forget.

The Lost Kitchen is about 40 miles southwest of Bangor.

Google Maps Screenshot of The Lost Kitchen location.Photo bythe author.

Any restaurant in Maine that can demand more than $100 per plate, and can’t keep up with reservations, must be something special.

Maureen G. from Trip Advisor says, “We went there for our anniversary. The hostess/owner and staff put on a show worthy of a 5-star TV cooking show. First time in our lives that we tasted food that felt as if it had been loved! (As organic farmers ourselves that is a pretty special experience.)

You have to experience this little restaurant to understand why it's so special. I hope they continue doing this for a very long time. Words cannot fully capture the special touches, the ambience and the food.”

References:
1. The People Magazine article, How to Get a Reservation at the Lost Kitchen, One of the Hardest-to-Book Restaurants in America. By Ana Calderone, dated 9 April 2021.

2. The Portland Press Herald article, What are the odds of a seat at the Lost Kitchen? Still slim.

3. The Bangor Daily News article, New book and TV series, brings Lost Kitchen owner’s intimate moments to light. By Abigail Burnham, dated 6 April 2021.

4. The Lost Kitchen: Freedom, Maine Trip Advisor Reviews.

5. The Erin French book, Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch.

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About the author.

Stephen Dalton is a native of Old Town, ME, and a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. He is a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Travel, Food, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, Short Story, and a NewsBreak Community Voice Pro.