Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch
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- Create Date：2021-04-07 15:51:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Erin French
- ISBN：1250312345
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Summary
From Erin French， owner and chef of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen， a TIME world dining destination， a life-affirming memoir about survival， renewal， and finding a community to lift her up
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。
In Finding Freedom， Erin opens up to the challenges， stumbles， and victories that have led her to the exact place she was ever meant to be， telling stories of multiple rock-bottoms， of darkness and anxiety， of survival as a jobless single mother， of pills that promised release but delivered addiction， of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self。 And of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food--as a source of comfort， a sense of place， as a way of bringing goodness into the world。 Erin's experiences with deep loss and abiding hope， told with both honesty and humor， will resonate with women everywhere who are determined to find their voices， create community， grow stronger and discover their best-selves despite seemingly impossible odds。 Set against the backdrop of rural Maine and its lushly intense， bountiful seasons， Erin reveals the passion and courage needed to invent oneself anew， and the poignant， timeless connections between food and generosity， renewal and freedom。
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。
In Finding Freedom， Erin opens up to the challenges， stumbles， and victories that have led her to the exact place she was ever meant to be， telling stories of multiple rock-bottoms， of darkness and anxiety， of survival as a jobless single mother， of pills that promised release but delivered addiction， of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self。 And of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food--as a source of comfort， a sense of place， as a way of bringing goodness into the world。 Erin's experiences with deep loss and abiding hope， told with both honesty and humor， will resonate with women everywhere who are determined to find their voices， create community， grow stronger and discover their best-selves despite seemingly impossible odds。 Set against the backdrop of rural Maine and its lushly intense， bountiful seasons， Erin reveals the passion and courage needed to invent oneself anew， and the poignant， timeless connections between food and generosity， renewal and freedom。
Reviews
Cynthia
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Happy pub day！ 4/6/21I am immensely grateful to Celadon Books for my review copy。
Lauren Kelsen
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Another memoir for the very short list of memoirs I’ve enjoyed！！ I love reading about restaurateurs， and Erin’s story is nothing short of genuine， relatable and inspiring。 It’s always tough to read a story about climbing to the top from hitting rock bottom， but Erin persevered！ This is absolutely a fantastic story for all， and a great one to push you outside of your comfort zone if you’re typically a fiction reader like myself。Thanks again Celadon for providing me with a great new read！
Debbie Rozier
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In this memoir， Erin shares her personal and professional journey from her experiences on the childhood farm and working in her dad’s diner to her struggles with depression and anxiety。 Erin has put her hometown of Freedom， Maine on the culinary map and her journey to get there is honestly portrayed and an inspiration to read。I have so many chapters in this book that I loved but I wanted to quickly share one of my favorites。 Erin comes back to Freedom- lonely and broken。 She goes to the animal s In this memoir， Erin shares her personal and professional journey from her experiences on the childhood farm and working in her dad’s diner to her struggles with depression and anxiety。 Erin has put her hometown of Freedom， Maine on the culinary map and her journey to get there is honestly portrayed and an inspiration to read。I have so many chapters in this book that I loved but I wanted to quickly share one of my favorites。 Erin comes back to Freedom- lonely and broken。 She goes to the animal shelter and gets a dog named Penney。 Penney signals a new beginning for both owner and dog。I love memoirs and I’ve added this one to my recommend to friends list。 。。。more
Booksandchinooks （Laurie）
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I am a memoir lover and this is definitely one that will stay with me。 Erin French is a world renowned chef that has overcome many struggles to attain this acclaim， both professionally and personally。 This book is written with complete candour with both the good and bad events that Erin has lived through on her life journey。 The food descriptions are beyond mouthwatering。 If you love memoirs make sure to give this one a chance！ Thank you to Celadon Books for my free review copy。
Melanie Stewart
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Thanks so much to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my e-arc in exchange of an honest review！ This amazing food memoir publishes TODAY！TW: emotional and physical abuse， prescription drug abuse， alcohol abuse， domestic abuse， suicidal thoughts I have recently developed a deep love for memoirs。 Anybody who is brave enough to share their story with the world， is highly praised in my books。 That’s why I will now always give 5 stars to any memoirs I read！ FINDING FREEDOM is an amazing memoir that focu Thanks so much to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my e-arc in exchange of an honest review！ This amazing food memoir publishes TODAY！TW: emotional and physical abuse， prescription drug abuse， alcohol abuse， domestic abuse， suicidal thoughts I have recently developed a deep love for memoirs。 Anybody who is brave enough to share their story with the world， is highly praised in my books。 That’s why I will now always give 5 stars to any memoirs I read！ FINDING FREEDOM is an amazing memoir that focuses primarily on Erin French’s love of food。 Both the highs and lows。 The struggles and celebrations。 From a very young age， Erin was surrounded by food， and it stayed won her and helped her throughout all aspects of her life。 She found love， heartbreak， addiction， healing and freedom through food。 I learned so much from this book about life， struggles， how to cope， that’s it’s okay to ask for help。 The best part was that it all centres around food， which brings people together！ I highly recommend this memoir！ Be warned tho， that you will be CONSTANTLY HUNGRY while reading this book！ 。。。more
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
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Inspiring， fascinating and remarkable！I have no words to describe Erin’s story， her journey was extraordinary and impressive。 This memoir was raw， honest and impossible to put down。 I hope I get to eat at The Lost Kitchen someday。Thank you Celadon Books and Erin French for this ARC。http://www。instagram。com/booksandcoff。。。 Inspiring， fascinating and remarkable！I have no words to describe Erin’s story， her journey was extraordinary and impressive。 This memoir was raw， honest and impossible to put down。 I hope I get to eat at The Lost Kitchen someday。Thank you Celadon Books and Erin French for this ARC。http://www。instagram。com/booksandcoff。。。 。。。more
Danielle Hammelef
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This memoir is one I've already recommended to my friends。 It reads like a fictional story and the fact that the events actually occurred made it more emotional for me。 I laughed， I cried， I got angry。 I kept thinking how difficult writing this must have been for Erin， how much courage it took on her part to share her painful past with readers， and maybe putting her life events into words also became a type of therapy for her。Erin didn't spare any wrong choice or hurtful thing done to her by oth This memoir is one I've already recommended to my friends。 It reads like a fictional story and the fact that the events actually occurred made it more emotional for me。 I laughed， I cried， I got angry。 I kept thinking how difficult writing this must have been for Erin， how much courage it took on her part to share her painful past with readers， and maybe putting her life events into words also became a type of therapy for her。Erin didn't spare any wrong choice or hurtful thing done to her by others and that made the writing raw and kept me glued to the pages。 I think others who read this will have their lives changed for the better--everyone has issues and carries baggage from life choices and we don't always get to know the whole truth--and I hope readers will remember this when dealing with other people and find compassion and patience。Overall， the writing is clear， understandable， and made me feel what the author was feeling， and the food-centered life brought all the tastes， sights， and smells of comforting cooking。 I highly recommend this memoir that flows like a well-written novel and brought hope to me with the strength Erin found within herself to fight for her own life and her son's。 。。。more
Katie / Thebookwormteacher
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I have to say， I approached this memoir thinking it was going to be all about food。 That’s it。 Just food。 I was not expecting the raw， vulnerable， and beautiful story of a woman making her way back from rock bottom with food as a solace and anchor。 Erin French takes you on a roller coaster of a ride as she dives deep into her experiences that some can relate to， yet not too many will often share。 I’m glad I was so drawn to the flowers on the front cover of this memoir and requested it！ Raw and e I have to say， I approached this memoir thinking it was going to be all about food。 That’s it。 Just food。 I was not expecting the raw， vulnerable， and beautiful story of a woman making her way back from rock bottom with food as a solace and anchor。 Erin French takes you on a roller coaster of a ride as she dives deep into her experiences that some can relate to， yet not too many will often share。 I’m glad I was so drawn to the flowers on the front cover of this memoir and requested it！ Raw and emotional， as well as inspiring。 。。。more
Jessica Samuelson
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This is a beautiful memoir of a life full of both hard-to-swallow situations and very sweet moments。 The food descriptions are evocative and mouthwatering。 I also felt that the way people are describes， especially Erin’s family members， showed a lot of insight。 Erin’s relationship with her son particularly pulled at my heartstrings。 Erin does not sugarcoat her story—some chapters of her life are difficult to read about and were clearly even harder to live through。 Eventually， Erin did find her w This is a beautiful memoir of a life full of both hard-to-swallow situations and very sweet moments。 The food descriptions are evocative and mouthwatering。 I also felt that the way people are describes， especially Erin’s family members， showed a lot of insight。 Erin’s relationship with her son particularly pulled at my heartstrings。 Erin does not sugarcoat her story—some chapters of her life are difficult to read about and were clearly even harder to live through。 Eventually， Erin did find her way—thanks to hard work， supportive people， and an old mill。 By creating The Lost Kitchen restaurant in her hometown， Erin finally found freedom。 。。。more
Joyce Cacioppo stein
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My first impression when beginning Finding Freedom was how I disliked it and didn’t think I could get through it。 I disliked Erin’s father。 I hated the way he treated the family， how he had no regard for what they needed， and only thought of himself。 I felt that he put a lot of pressure on Erin， was extremely insensitive to her feelings， had her working in his diner at a very young age， while spending a good part of his free time drinking。 Erin becomes pregnant while in college and that goes ove My first impression when beginning Finding Freedom was how I disliked it and didn’t think I could get through it。 I disliked Erin’s father。 I hated the way he treated the family， how he had no regard for what they needed， and only thought of himself。 I felt that he put a lot of pressure on Erin， was extremely insensitive to her feelings， had her working in his diner at a very young age， while spending a good part of his free time drinking。 Erin becomes pregnant while in college and that goes over like a bomb with her father。 She has no intention of marrying the father and choses to keep her baby and raise him as a single parent against her father’s insistence to get rid of it。 Her mother becomes her cheering squad and her birthing partner。 Her life at this point consists of taking care of her son， finding work and a place of their own to live。 Along comes Tom whom she eventually marries and he adopts Jaim， her son， She opens up her own restaurant， works 16 hours a day and tries to take care of him。 There marriage goes down hill and She gets hooked on pills and alcohol。 Tom has her committed， and gains full control of her son。 Her future looks bleak but she manages to pull through it all， gets herself back on her feet， opens another restaurant， and wins her son back。 I wound up loving the book。 It was a story of great resilience and I marveled at how Erin was able to remake herself。 I highly recommend reading about her life。 It would give anyone courage during a tough time。 Thank you Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this unedited pre-release。 。。。more
Jamele （BookswithJams）
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I was absolutely mesmerized by this memoir and could not put it down。 I did not know anything about Erin French or her restaurant before picking this up， and oh my goodness she has quite the story of lows， comebacks， rock-bottoms， and an ultimate redemption。 Erin struggled with addiction， abuse， anxiety， staying in a bad marriage， always wanting her father’s acceptance， struggling as a single mother from a very young age， I mean she has been through it， but always had a love for food and sharing I was absolutely mesmerized by this memoir and could not put it down。 I did not know anything about Erin French or her restaurant before picking this up， and oh my goodness she has quite the story of lows， comebacks， rock-bottoms， and an ultimate redemption。 Erin struggled with addiction， abuse， anxiety， staying in a bad marriage， always wanting her father’s acceptance， struggling as a single mother from a very young age， I mean she has been through it， but always had a love for food and sharing that with others。I absolutely enjoyed the parts where she described her love of food and how sharing that with others made her feel。 You can sense her passion coming through these pages and it is a joy to see someone doing what they love even though it is hard。I love reading memoirs like this because they are honest， gut wrenching， and the author left it all on the table for us readers， and it had to have been cathartic but painful to write， and we are left the better for it。Thank you to @celadonbooks for the #gifted copy to review。 。。。more
K。T。
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Erin French tells a very raw， honest， and deeply thoughtful story in "Finding Freedom。" The reader is taken through her journeys， struggles， and absolute rock bottom experiences in life， as Erin paints a richly detailed and emotionally vivid canvas of her story through the pages of her memoir。 I greatly admire her strength to go through the toxic relationships， battle addiction and mental health concerns， and emerge on the other side， still motivated to keep going and eventually go on to start t Erin French tells a very raw， honest， and deeply thoughtful story in "Finding Freedom。" The reader is taken through her journeys， struggles， and absolute rock bottom experiences in life， as Erin paints a richly detailed and emotionally vivid canvas of her story through the pages of her memoir。 I greatly admire her strength to go through the toxic relationships， battle addiction and mental health concerns， and emerge on the other side， still motivated to keep going and eventually go on to start the famous and exclusive "Lost Kitchen" restaurant。 Erin then went on to revisit her experiences in vivid detail when writing this memoir， which was probably not an easy or comfortable thing to do。 I leave finishing her story inspired and motivated in my own life and in awe of this strong， incredible woman。 Side note: I was so happy for her mom when she finalized her divorce and found herself and happiness！I am taking off one star for the long， lengthy paragraphs that were sometimes difficult to follow and sometimes made awkward for picking the book up again。 Perhaps it is her writing style， but it was a bit unusual for a memoir-style book。Thank you to Bookish First for an ARC！ 。。。more
Chelsea Strong
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This was a pretty heavy book。 I liked the book， but I didn’t really like the book。 I have to say don’t read this book while you are trying to diet and trying to cut back on the food you are eating。 The highlights of the book to me were French describing food。 A lot of the book felt like French saying they didn’t feel loved or respected enough by their dad。 Don’t get me wrong， French went through a lot and she shows a lot of strength。 My gut sunk when she said that she married Tom。 I just knew t This was a pretty heavy book。 I liked the book， but I didn’t really like the book。 I have to say don’t read this book while you are trying to diet and trying to cut back on the food you are eating。 The highlights of the book to me were French describing food。 A lot of the book felt like French saying they didn’t feel loved or respected enough by their dad。 Don’t get me wrong， French went through a lot and she shows a lot of strength。 My gut sunk when she said that she married Tom。 I just knew that the marriage was going to end in disaster。 Reading what he did to her made me sick to my stomach。 I hate how she built a restaurant that she was so proud of and he took it all away from her。 How can you marry someone， want to support them just to take everything from them？ And then on top of that take their child from them that you adopted？ I don’t know if there is a hero or villain in this story really， since everything is from French’s point of view， so there is clear bias。 Going to rehab is a hard choice。 It’s something I’ve had to deal with， with my father。 When French found out that Tom destroyed everything she had worked for she wanted to leave rehab and try and put things back together。 Instead she chose to stay and fight because of her son。 That is strength that I can recognize and appreciate。 Going is hard， staying and recovering is even harder。 By the end of the memoir I was happy to see French’s successes。 The true highlights of this book are French talking about food。 Food is her passion and she loves the joy cooking for people brings her。 The idea of her restaurant is really interesting to me。 People don’t know what they are going to get。 French is able to have so much freedom with her cooking。 She is now surrounded by people who love and support her。 She even adopted a dog （I am a huge sucker for dogs and I love that getting a dog helped her heal）。 MVP: Non-Fiction no MVP。 。。。more
Lucille Bransfield
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So if I’m being honest， if I had not gotten this book from #CeladonReads I might not have read it。 I’m truly thankful that it was sent to me。 I absolutely loved it。 This memoir just grabbed me。 I am a big believer in food showing love and I felt the love in this book through her food。 There were parts where I was mad as heck， if I’m being honest。 Her ex husband is a piece of work for sure。 God bless that she got her life together without him！
Jenni Powell
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A beautiful balance of deliciously described food adventures and raw life challenges and trauma。 You cannot have the light without the dark and this book exemplifies that。 Word of warning to animal lovers: there are some scenes depicting butchery and pet deaths that were a little hard for me to get through。
Mj
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Erin’s memoir is an open and honest look into her life from her childhood days of working in the family diner with a demanding and domineering father to finding peace and contentment trusting herself in pursuing her dream and healing herself。 The reader has a chance to get to know Erin， her family members， friends， and adversaries well through her vivid descriptions of their actions as they relate to her and others。 With all the challenges Erin had to work through， her mother was a constant sou Erin’s memoir is an open and honest look into her life from her childhood days of working in the family diner with a demanding and domineering father to finding peace and contentment trusting herself in pursuing her dream and healing herself。 The reader has a chance to get to know Erin， her family members， friends， and adversaries well through her vivid descriptions of their actions as they relate to her and others。 With all the challenges Erin had to work through， her mother was a constant source of support， whether it be a pregnancy out of wedlock， addition to pills and alcohol， an extremely troubled marriage， or mounting bills。 Erin’s mother was always present， while her father distanced himself。 Yet， Erin understood her father and appreciated the gift he gave her in helping her find her passion in life， which involved food。 Through the many obstacles and challenges in her life， Erin retained her joy in preparing food as a way of showing love and caring for other people。 Nurturing others by preparing not only food but a special eating experience seemed to help center Erin and give her true happiness in life。 I felt admiration for Erin in the type of strength she had and the way she persevered。 。。。more
Chris Markley
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In this inspiring memoir readers journey with Erin as she lives life， makes choices that seem like there is no possible way to come back from ， and eventually find her way to live a life exactly how she wants。Thanks to Celadon books for providing an arc for my honest review。
One Thrifty Reader
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This is one of the most beautifully written memoirs I've ever had the pleasure of reading。 Erin French is the owner and chef of a famous restaurant， The Lost Kitchen， located in a small town in Maine。 Foodies from all over the country travel to the little town of Freedom， Maine， to eat a meal at The Lost Kitchen。 But Erin has walked a long and very difficult road to reach the happy and successful life she now enjoys。 She began working in her parent's diner as a child， which ignited her love of f This is one of the most beautifully written memoirs I've ever had the pleasure of reading。 Erin French is the owner and chef of a famous restaurant， The Lost Kitchen， located in a small town in Maine。 Foodies from all over the country travel to the little town of Freedom， Maine， to eat a meal at The Lost Kitchen。 But Erin has walked a long and very difficult road to reach the happy and successful life she now enjoys。 She began working in her parent's diner as a child， which ignited her love of feeding people。 Then came single parenthood， a very difficult marriage and a doctor who thought giving her lots of pills was the answer to all her problems。 All the while， she kept cooking。 In her memoir she talks in detail about all the struggles she faced and how she eventually overcame them all to reach a life that includes a wonderful child， a happy new marriage and an incredibly successful restaurant。Disclosure - I received an Advance Reader's Copy （ARC） of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Liz Pollinger
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I received several copies of this book from the publisher for my bookclub to read and review。This book chronicles the life of Erin French of chef/owner， of the very popular restaurant， The Lost Kitchen， located in Freedom， Maine。The book begins when Erin is a young girl working in her father’s diner。 The reader then follows her being an unwed mother， opening （and losing） her first restaurant， her drug and alcohol addiction， her rehab and finally opening her current restaurant which has become ve I received several copies of this book from the publisher for my bookclub to read and review。This book chronicles the life of Erin French of chef/owner， of the very popular restaurant， The Lost Kitchen， located in Freedom， Maine。The book begins when Erin is a young girl working in her father’s diner。 The reader then follows her being an unwed mother， opening （and losing） her first restaurant， her drug and alcohol addiction， her rehab and finally opening her current restaurant which has become very popular。It was an interesting story and well written。 I absolutely loved the cover。 。。。more
Rebecca
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This one grabs you right from the beginning with the detail with which she describes her days at the diner。 Within the first few pages， you’re already picturing yourself in her position。 You really root for Erin through her struggles to， as she says， “remake a life from scratch。” If you’re a foodie， definitely pick this one up。 She describes her dishes with such detail， you can imagine sitting down to a delicious meal she’s prepared for you in her kitchen。 If I ever travel back up around Maine， This one grabs you right from the beginning with the detail with which she describes her days at the diner。 Within the first few pages， you’re already picturing yourself in her position。 You really root for Erin through her struggles to， as she says， “remake a life from scratch。” If you’re a foodie， definitely pick this one up。 She describes her dishes with such detail， you can imagine sitting down to a delicious meal she’s prepared for you in her kitchen。 If I ever travel back up around Maine， I absolutely would be interested in visiting her Lost Kitchen！ I enjoy reading memoirs where I feel the author takes me deep in their lives， even when it may be messy。 Erin absolutely does this， and she walks you through her experiences and the tough times with detail， but not self-pity。 I really enjoyed this one， and I can’t wait to watch her series The Lost Kitchen on the new Magnolia Network！ Thank you so much to Erin French and Celadon Books for my ARC！ This one’s pub date is April 6！#bookstagram #RebeccaReviewedIt 。。。more
Dana
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WOW。 Wow wow wow！A solidly built and executed memoir is one of my new， favorite， preferred genres。 Erin French brings readers one that you just fall in love with before flipping to the second page。 From first page to the last， French brings readers into the folds of her life - a necessary for any good memoir - and takes them on a journey of loss and discovery。 The ups and downs as French rebuilds her life time and time again give every reader a lesson in what really matters and how you can truly WOW。 Wow wow wow！A solidly built and executed memoir is one of my new， favorite， preferred genres。 Erin French brings readers one that you just fall in love with before flipping to the second page。 From first page to the last， French brings readers into the folds of her life - a necessary for any good memoir - and takes them on a journey of loss and discovery。 The ups and downs as French rebuilds her life time and time again give every reader a lesson in what really matters and how you can truly build the life you dream。There is also an aspect of this memoir that is built around the strength of women。 The poise and grace， the nerve and determination， the loud resounding voice that there is no stopping a woman with a desire to fight， survive， and come out on top。 French pulls these threads together beautiful with every word and tells the story of not just herself but all of the women in her life。**Book received as ARC。 。。。more
Suleika Santana -All About Books
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This was a pretty good memoir and the first one I have ever read。 It was very real and filled with vivid descriptions and so many details。， definitely very well written。 It is very emotional at times and she shares all the heartache that she went through in her life and all the sacrifices but also the joy and finally her achievements not only career wise but in her personal life。 I liked that the story is from her childhood all the way till she opens The Lost Kitchen which is a very inclusive re This was a pretty good memoir and the first one I have ever read。 It was very real and filled with vivid descriptions and so many details。， definitely very well written。 It is very emotional at times and she shares all the heartache that she went through in her life and all the sacrifices but also the joy and finally her achievements not only career wise but in her personal life。 I liked that the story is from her childhood all the way till she opens The Lost Kitchen which is a very inclusive restaurant and one that uses a very cool method （a lottery） for dining in。 All the food descriptions were very good but I have to say that what I most enjoyed about the story was how she fought for what she wanted。 Trigger warnings: animal abuse （this was a big one for me） if you are an animal lover one particular chapter will bother you， suicidal thoughts and self harm， drug abuse， domestic violence and maybe I'm forgetting a few others。 。。。more
Emelie
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Thank you to Celadon for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for a review。I normally don't read memoirs， but because I won a copy of Finding Freedom in a giveaway， I thought I would give it a go！ Finding Freedom was such an unexpected read that I really ended up enjoying。 I will say that I was very hungry reading all the descriptions of food， so have a snack handy if you decide to pick it up。 Things I liked:- I loved learning about Erin's journey of becoming the renoundchef she is today。 Thank you to Celadon for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for a review。I normally don't read memoirs， but because I won a copy of Finding Freedom in a giveaway， I thought I would give it a go！ Finding Freedom was such an unexpected read that I really ended up enjoying。 I will say that I was very hungry reading all the descriptions of food， so have a snack handy if you decide to pick it up。 Things I liked:- I loved learning about Erin's journey of becoming the renoundchef she is today。 You really see her strength and her vulnerability， which made the book feel really raw at times。 I can't help but admire her strength and tenacity and hope to find myself。 Her journey with her mental health/addiction was an unexpected turn of the book that I really appreciated。 She is very honest and forthcoming of her struggles throughout this book， and that inly added to my admiration for her。 - I'm not a big foodie， but after this book I think I might be one now！ I adored all descriptions of the food。 From the set up/decor of the restaurant， to the many dishes they serve， it was all so vivid。 Like I mentioned before， I would really recommend having a snack handy when reading this book。 My only complaint was that there was so much description at times that I had a hard time paying attention。 It wasn't uncommon to turn the page and see giant blocks of text without paragraph breaks。 。。。more
Dana
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This cover immediately had my attention。 This would be a total cover buy for me。 Those flowers。 Gorgeous！I am a huge fan of memoirs。 This is the first time I've read one centered around food。 I'll fully admit I was salivating during many points throughout these pages。 It was really interesting to learn how French found her love of cooking。 Oh how I wish I could visit The Lost Kitchen。 Her love of fresh， local ingredients and farm to table approach is one I really admire。 Plus I adore the rustic This cover immediately had my attention。 This would be a total cover buy for me。 Those flowers。 Gorgeous！I am a huge fan of memoirs。 This is the first time I've read one centered around food。 I'll fully admit I was salivating during many points throughout these pages。 It was really interesting to learn how French found her love of cooking。 Oh how I wish I could visit The Lost Kitchen。 Her love of fresh， local ingredients and farm to table approach is one I really admire。 Plus I adore the rustic charm！ This story also has its heartbreaking moments， and at times I felt like throwing my book。 Some of the events made me so angry for her。 Finding Freedom is raw and truly inspiring。 Once again I am amazed by yet another memoir。 I can not imagine the strength it must take to share your life story， your truth， with the world。Thank you so much to Celadon Books for this gifted copy！ 。。。more
Kathy （Bermudaonion）
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4。5 starsAs a child in the small town of Freedom， Maine， Erin French wanted nothing more than to leave it behind。 She worked hard and earned a scholarship for college but an unplanned pregnancy found her back in her parents home。 She knew she had to make a life for herself and her son and， drawing on the experience she got in her dad’s diner as a child， she created a popular and successful restaurant。 She lost all of that and more and had to reinvent herself and， thankfully， came back stronger t 4。5 starsAs a child in the small town of Freedom， Maine， Erin French wanted nothing more than to leave it behind。 She worked hard and earned a scholarship for college but an unplanned pregnancy found her back in her parents home。 She knew she had to make a life for herself and her son and， drawing on the experience she got in her dad’s diner as a child， she created a popular and successful restaurant。 She lost all of that and more and had to reinvent herself and， thankfully， came back stronger than ever。What an inspiring story this is！ French has had some tough breaks in her life but her talent and determination have helped her rise above it all more than once。 I loved her story and am longing to visit her restaurant one day。 。。。more
Carin
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Erin didn't have the easiest life。 Her dad was a tyrant who forced her to work long hours in his diner in Freedom， Maine。 Her mom was loving but didn't speak up for her。 She loved the food at the diner and trying new things but she didn't love how much it took her father away from the family and made him perpetually stressed and angry。 She managed to get away to college even though her father refused to pay for it。 And after a late-night get together with her old high school boyfriend， she ended Erin didn't have the easiest life。 Her dad was a tyrant who forced her to work long hours in his diner in Freedom， Maine。 Her mom was loving but didn't speak up for her。 She loved the food at the diner and trying new things but she didn't love how much it took her father away from the family and made him perpetually stressed and angry。 She managed to get away to college even though her father refused to pay for it。 And after a late-night get together with her old high school boyfriend， she ended up pregnant， which went over like a lead balloon。 So she dropped out of college at 21 and had a baby boy （what her father always wanted instead of Erin and her sister。） Meanwhile she was working at the diner， often solo， often 16+ hour days。 When she moved out， she also got a job at a high-end restaurant。 There she met Tom， twice her age， who at first seemed like a creep。 Eventually she decided her wasn't， and reader， she married him。 And reader， it was bad。Tom was an active alcoholic when she married him。 He cheated on her。 He also adopted her son and helped her open a restaurant so it seems like he wasn't all bad。 But then when she started taking a lot of pills to deal with the stress of the restaurant and him， things went south fast。 There was some physical abuse and a restraining order。 But then when she went to rehab， he closed her restaurant （somehow only her name was on the mortgage and only his name was on the title， hmmmm） and took away her son。 She fought him for custody and also fought her way out of debt to open another restaurant， which is wildly successful （the reservations are sold out within minutes of their opening for the entire season。）It's as if Ruth Reichl had a bad childhood and a terrible twenties。 Or if Anthony Bourdain was a women who was a teenage mom。 Tons of drama， lots of trauma， but oh the food， the glorious amazing food。 。。。more
Tikri /Letitia
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Won a Goodreads ARC。 Totally recommend this well written real-life story。
Erin Cataldi
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I love a good chef's memoir。 I won't lie - before reading this book I had never heard of the Lost Kitchen or of Erin French - but you better believe that as soon as I finished reading this I went online to look for photos and videos。 It is such a powerful story - Erin went to hell and back to make her dream come true。 Growing up in her father's diner， Erin realized at an early age she loved to cook。 At first Erin was desperate to leave the small town of Freedom， Maine and go to the city - but la I love a good chef's memoir。 I won't lie - before reading this book I had never heard of the Lost Kitchen or of Erin French - but you better believe that as soon as I finished reading this I went online to look for photos and videos。 It is such a powerful story - Erin went to hell and back to make her dream come true。 Growing up in her father's diner， Erin realized at an early age she loved to cook。 At first Erin was desperate to leave the small town of Freedom， Maine and go to the city - but later， twenty one and pregnant， she was right back where she started - sweating in a diner。 She eventually overcame that hurdle and finally moved out of her parents and was able to work at a bistro and a catering job and while there she met a man。 Fast forward to a marriage， an adoption， and an illegal supper club - things seemed to be improving - but in fact everything was about to come to a head in the worst way possible。 I won't give too much away - but what Erin was able to overcome and achieve is damned impressive and inspiring。 The way she writes about her hopes， dreams， cooking， parenthood， and more is wonderful。 This memoir is lyrical， hopeful， and resilient。 I will definitely be reading more about Erin and her restaurant。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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French doesn't pull any punches in this thoughtful memoir which traces her life through the kitchens of life。 It's hard to review memoirs without feeling as though you are passing judgment on the life of the author but French has been there done that for herself。 Beginning as child， she found solace in cooking， even when her life spiraled out of control。 She's worked with food since she was a child in her father's place and now， in 2021， she owns one of the most renowned restaurants in the US。 S French doesn't pull any punches in this thoughtful memoir which traces her life through the kitchens of life。 It's hard to review memoirs without feeling as though you are passing judgment on the life of the author but French has been there done that for herself。 Beginning as child， she found solace in cooking， even when her life spiraled out of control。 She's worked with food since she was a child in her father's place and now， in 2021， she owns one of the most renowned restaurants in the US。 She's self taught， which makes it all the more unlikely。 What's amazing， though， is how she has been able to forge a new path for herself and her son。 There's no self pity here or any recrimination， really but rather an honest look at how the decisions she made- both good and bad- shaped her and got her （and her son） to where they are today。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 Terrific read。 。。。more
Michaela
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