Erin French is a famous American chef, author, and the proprietor and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a forty-seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine, that’s been previously awarded among TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places as well as one of “12 Restaurants Worth Travelling Across the World to Experience” by Bloomberg.
The Lost Kitchen, her restaurant in the small hamlet of Freedom, Maine, is probably the most difficult spot to reserve on earth. It is housed in an old mill next to a beautiful waterfall, and guests fly from all over the globe for just a spot inside the 40-seat restaurant, which has been lauded in The New York Times and also was voted one among Time magazine’s World’s Great Place in 2018. Millions of eager foodies submit postcards to the random raffle in the hopes of securing a booking – it is normally available for only half a year.
The waterfall beside Erin French’s Lost Kitchen, which she launched in 2014, serves as a marker of what a long way she’s progressed.
Erin French Raised her son Jaim French as a single mother.
Erin, a local of Maine, learned young the basic joys of mindful cooking and the necessity of assembling for a feast. She grew up in Freedom and passed her days completing schoolwork at a table at her father’s family cafe.
Her passion for sharing Maine and its delish legacy to wondering supper visitors and new acquaintances alike have earned her recognition in publications like the New York Times. French, who has worked at her dad’s café as a girl, returned to her town upon getting pregnant and finally settled in the culinary sector.
As a single mother, French brought her kid Jaim and started polishing her culinary abilities in her parents’ restaurant. Somewhere along the road, she started dating again, married, and by 2010, was hosting dinner parties at their apartment in neighboring Belfast.
She developed her sophisticated yet basic culinary technique there, utilizing whichever food was available and in season. Erin French opened The Lost Kitchen in her hometown of Freedom, Maine, in 2014 upon gaining a significant audience for her meals.
Her books comprise “The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine: A Cookbook” (2017), “Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen” (2021), and “Untitled French Cookbook Fall” (2023). The Washington Post, Remodelista, and Vogue, rated “The Lost Kitchen Cookbook” as among the finest cookbooks.
The famous chef has also guest-starred in many shows including Guy’s Grocery Games, Be My Guest with Ina Garden, Weekends with Yankee, CBS This Morning: Saturday, and many more. She additionally has her own show since 2021 called “The Lost Kitchen”, a cookery show, that is readily accessible on HBO Max, The Roku Channel, Spectrum TV, Discovery+, Amazon Video, Philo, or Vudu. Erin also appeared in a James Beard Award-winning short video produced by Tastemade and L. L. Bean.
Erin’s Messy Divorce with Ex-husband and Custody Battle
In her famous book “Finding Freedom”, the autodidactic chef, whose eatery in remote Maine ranks among the globe’s trendiest attractions, admits that her chaotic relationship and addiction almost lost her everything. Erin was previously wedded to Tom French, her first spouse, who is a veteran boatbuilder.
They were in a marriage for 7 years from 2006 to 2013, and they together built the very first “Lost Kitchen” in 2011. The business was operated mostly from Erin’s home in Belfast, Maine, making it a highly difficult event for her.
The famous chef’s meals swiftly became successful, and she and her then-husband had sufficient savings in 2012 to launch a restaurant. It became an instant hit, attracting focus from all around the nation — yet her marriage was falling apart out of public view.
Within just a few months, Erin French flew from a highly accomplished restaurateur requesting to plan a lunch at the prestigious James Beard House to having to lose her first-ever cafe, property, and marriage to her first husband and guardianship of her single child. It was a tragic turn of events that included an interpersonal breakdown, a shattered relationship, drug addiction, and a brutal divorce.
In her book, Erin shared that her ex-husband made her appear silly, vulnerable, immature, and dumb. She suffered from sadness and panic, and medicines that aided her deal, like Ambien and Xanax, which eventually became an addiction.
In 2013, Erin had been in rehabilitation and far along her road to recovery until she realized Tom had discreetly shuttered the restaurant and modified the locks. She additionally learned Todd had dismissed everyone associated with the business.
As a result, the French became frustrated and sought a divorce. She was obliged to restart her life, her self-belief, and her profession from the ground up.
The harsh divorce, along with Jaim’s custody struggle, drove Erin to a lodge on her parents’ property. Fortunately, she fought her path through those difficult circumstances.
Where is Erin today?
The Lost Kitchen, Erin’s restaurant, was built within an abandoned gristmill and is the focus of her Magnolia series. Erin was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2016 for her cuisine, along with having entertained notable visitors such as Martha Stewart.
Erin is happier than ever today that she is hitched to Michael Dutton. In an interview with People, Erin disclosed how she was afraid that nobody would possibly love her again.
Nevertheless, her new spouse, helped her keep strong throughout the epidemic. The famous chef also shared that in her current relationship, her husband is very encouraging and never tries to limit her.
