Belfast – Maine Terrain https://www.maineterrain.com Secret Destinations in and around Acadia National Park Sun, 07 Apr 2024 23:25:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.8 The LOST Kitchen! Erin French Village Analysis 2024 https://www.maineterrain.com/the-lost-kitchen-erin-french/ https://www.maineterrain.com/the-lost-kitchen-erin-french/#respond Sat, 02 Jul 2022 19:12:17 +0000 https://www.maineterrain.com/?p=4086
Freedom Falls Grist Mill Historic

Erin French of the Lost Kitchen has a high profile status as a celebrity chef. However, her Wikipedia page is strangely incomplete. As of July 2, 2022,  Wikipedia lists her James Beard Award nominations and her books.  However, there is no biographical information.  Considering, she delves deeply into her personal life in her book Finding Freedom and subsequent media interviews the lack of Wikipedia data is a strange anomaly. 

Lost Kitchen Erin French’s Early Life

Erin French was born Erin Richardson in 1981 and grew up in Freedom, Maine.  Freedom is a small town in Waldo County. According to the 2020 US Census, Freedom’s population is 711.  It was even smaller during Erin’s youth.

Erin appears to have  graduated from Mount View High School in Thorndike, Maine in 1999.

Erin’s parents, Deanna L. Richardson David J. Richardson married in Rockport, Maine August 18, 1979. They remained married for almost 4 decades, separating just shy of their 40th anniversary in January of 2019.

The Lost Kitchen: Family Influence

Both Erin’s mother & father provided guidance during Erin’s culinary journey.  Seemingly, each parent was pivotal at different stages of her career.

Not surprisingly, Erin worked in her father’s restaurant as a child. She credits this experience for giving her both the inspiration and work ethic to start her own restaurant.

Where Did Erin Work At as a Child?

Erin worked at her father’s diner, The Ridge Top Restaurant located at 6 Knox Ridge Road in Knox, Maine. 

The diner opened in 1984 and remained in business through 2019.  Unfortunately, like many Maine restaurants,  it did not survive the pandemic and closed in August of 2021.  

Management left this message on the diner’s Facebook page:

Good morning. With lots of thoughts due to the lack of help we are forced to close our doors. It hasn’t been an easy decision. We want to thank everyone for all the support over the years. Mammies in Unity is still open. Hope to see you there.

Oddly, Mammie’s Country Kitchen in Unity, Maine was the scene of a bizarre incident in 2022.  A customer left their truck idling the diner’s parking lot. Unfortunately, he also left a large amount of loose ammunition in the truck which at some point ignited. The resulting explosions caused a fire which destroyed the truck but left the restaurant unscathed.

Erin’s Mom Deanna

When Erin set out to create the first incarnation of The Lost Kitchen in Belfast, Maine, her mother provided inspiration and moral support. 

Erin’s divorce was a dark time in her life. She took time off to attend rehab and regroup mentally. As a result, her budding culinary fan-base was confused by her absence along with the abrupt closure of the original Lost Kitchen in Belfast.

Deanna stepped in to help out and maintain communication with TLK fans through the Lost Kitchen’s Facebook page.

TLK is indeed closed, but only temporarily. As Erin’s mom, I can tell you that she is looking forward to creating more wonderful meals in the very near future. Will let you know when she returns!

More recently,  her mother Deanna Richardson, started working alongside Erin at the Lost Kitchen.    In 2017, Richardson recounted to NPR News how her former work colleagues tried to dissuade Erin from opening the current restaurant in Freedom.  

Alicia Richardson: Erin’s Sister

Alicia Richardson is Erin’s younger sister.  An early 2010’s article in MaineBoats.com mentions Alicia assisting her sister as host at the first incarnation of the Lost Kitchen in Belfast, Maine. Of note,  this early restaurant publicity seems likely connected to then-husband Todd French’s maritime industry network.

On a Facebook post on opening day April 1, 2016, Erin thanked Alicia and her mother for helping work the phones.  Whereas, Deanna Richmond is a permanent fixture at TLK, it  appears that Alicia jumped in from time to time when needed. 

As of July 2022, Alicia Richardson is married and raising a family in Appleton, Maine. Alicia is a real estate agent working out of Camden, Maine. She represents buyers and seller throughout Mid-Coast Maine.  

I was born and raised in Freedom, Maine, giving me deep insight into Maine’s unique cultural heritage and spectacular natural beauty. Midcoast Maine’s strength comes from its strong communities, both year-round and seasonal, and I maintain strong relationships with both. Maine seems to attract people who crave simpler times, with unlocked doors and the immediacy of four striking seasons. I also have career experience in numerous small businesses as well as restaurants and hospitality.

In addition to my passion for finding people their dream home, I love homesteading on my forever home in Appleton with my husband, two small children, three dogs, three ducks, and constantly expanding gardens and outdoor art projects. 

source: Re/Max Jaret& Cohn 

Todd French: Erin’s ex-Husband

Mr. French seems to be cast as the villain here.  Allegations like alcoholism, abuse, controlling behavior, etc. are recurring themes in many  interviews online.  Much of it reads like Star 80, culinary edition.

The implication is that a crusty old boat-builder duped the vulnerable young Erin into marriage. Then, after side-tracking Erin’s career for several years, became jealous with her success, crushed her spirit, destroyed her restaurant and took her child away. Meanwhile, the collective patriarchy high-fived each other and laughed over Erin’s misery. 

However,  there are less charitable ways to interpret what happened between 2006-2012.  

At the time Erin met her first husband she was a single mother. It appears the biological father was not meaningfully involved in their lives.  Additionally, she dropped out of pre-med college studies and returned to the food service industry.  Accordingly, it’s not unusual for someone in that situation to seek out a more stable partner.  Mr. French was almost two decades older but also ambitious and entrepreneurial. 

On a side-note,  the “boat-builder” moniker, while technically accurate, is used derisively to describe Todd French’s career in much of the 2019-2021 media. Mr. French’s firm French & Webb has garnered worldwide acclaim for their yacht restoration and construction work. In 2019, the firm was commissioned for an ambitious plank-by-plank  restoration of the USS Sequoia, which served as the floating White House for several US Presidents.  

It appears like Todd & Erin French worked together to create the first incarnation of The Lost Kitchen in a restored bank building in downtown Belfast, Maine. 

Where was the Original Lost Kitchen Located?

The original Lost Kitchen was located at 108 Main St Belfast, ME 04915.  After this location closed, it was quickly replaced by world renowned chef Matthew Kenney’s  The Gothic restaurant. It was is a Maine-themed vegetarian restaurant. 

Michael Dutton: Erin’s Current Husband

Michael Dutton met Erin French on the dating site match.com.  According to Dutton’s LinkedIn page, he started working as a media advisor/Executive Producer for the Lost Kitchen in June of 2015. 

Assuming that the two had dated for a while before he started working on the Lost Kitchen show, they likely met in 2014. They wed on August 24, 2018.

Significantly, Dutton is a media executive with experience at MTV, Associated Press and the History Channel. Additionally, he is a co-founder of 6ccMedia with offices in New York and Los Angeles.

Media interest in Erin French and the Lost Kitchen story increased significantly after Dutton’s appeared on the scene.  After 2016, there was a rapid succession of book deals, features by the New York Times, Washington Post, People Magazine, Food & Wine , many repeating the brilliant  “hardest-to book-reservation” soundbite or some variation.  Coveted interviews with media powerhouses like the Today Show, PBS and CBS News also followed. 

 

What is Erin French Really Like?

Erin’s story is compelling. It’s a journey of fighting through adversity and finally achieving success in a most unlikely way. She is the celebrity chef version of Rocky Balboa.  Her achievements command respect and they should!

In researching this article, my assessment of Erin’s personality is that she’s an intelligent, driven woman with a strong personality.  This is typical of people who rise & excel in their field – sports stars, tech CEO’s, celebrities, etc.  This is a compliment, not a critique.  

Self-absorbed?

However, Erin French’s narrative comes across a bit self-absorbed. 

This is exacerbated by the fact that the media blitz surrounding her is based on the premise that toxic people took advantage of her when she was weak but now she is strong and experiencing the best revenge, success. 

This is not how I interpret Erin’s rise to fame.

She seems like someone who was entrepreneurial & hard working from youth,  intelligent and driven. She has continually moved her life forward while experiencing setbacks along the way. 

  • Growing up in Rural Maine didn’t hold her back.
  • An unplanned pregnancy didn’t hold her back.
  • Divorce didn’t hold her back.
  • Addiction only held her back for a bit. 
  • Returning to Rural Maine did not hold her back.

One critic of French’s book Finding Freedom, Yun, states it very eloquently:

For a memoir, there’s also a noticeable lack of anecdotes, especially towards the second half of the book. For example, she often talks about her son, but there isn’t a single thing I remember about him because she never shared anything concrete. Or she often mentions that she and her sister don’t get along, but didn’t actually give any examples of what happened. Instead, she tells her story mostly through introspection, with events quickly summarized so that she can get to her thoughts and feelings on it, which is where she really spends the bulk of her time.

It was also extremely hard to read what happened to her. She grew up surrounded by toxic people and relationships. Instead of setting boundaries, she only knew how to enabled these people and to grab on ever harder, seeking their approval and affection.   

source: Goodreads

Considering the narrative as a warts-and-all triumph over adversity tale, the omissions are odd. Additionally, it takes a bit of narcissism to throw non-public figures under the bus during the course of a book promotion.  It comes off petty.

I see her as more of a fallible alpha-personality than victim of opportunistic oppressors. 

Controversial Erin French Subjects:

One issue I have with the media talking points surrounding Erin’s publicity campaign is that there are both glaring omissions and broad generalizations. I suspect these omissions are intentional to make the Lost Kitchen story more triumphant & sympathetic. 

Below are a few topics which deserve closer examination:

  1. Child Custody Erin either lost or voluntarily gave up custody of her biological child to her ex-husband Todd French who is not the biological father (this is public information). Custody arrangements like Erin’s rarely happen. According to family law attorney Judith Holtzman, “Can step-parents win custody against biological parents? When it comes to the child’s best interest, the situation just might warrant it.”  By her own admission,  Erin was doctor shopping for illicit Xanax & Ambien prescriptions and drinking to excess leading up to her divorce. Despite the characterization of her first husband Todd French as abusive, alcoholic and controlling, it’s odd that he was granted custody of his stepchild.  Their child is now an adult and keeps a low profile online. However,  there are a few significant footprints online: 1) Erin gave her child a public shout-out & shared her child’s Instagram address on her wildly popular TheLostKitchen Instagram account.  2)  School-related citations suggest that their child lived with or at least attended school in the district of their father’s town long after Erin attained sobriety. Erin writes & speaks freely of her child but we are withholding the young adult’s name for privacy. 
  2. Being Manipulated. Erin attended the prestigious Northeastern University of Boston for two years before withdrawing due to pregnancy. This is no small feat for a young woman from the rural town of Freedom.  In fact, Mount View High School ranks #13,383 out of 17,843 based on US News & World Report School Rankings. Although I cannot find public college continuation statistics for her high school, I suspect they are low due to the school’s 59% poverty rate and relatively low US News & World Report rankings. This is significant because it reinforces the premise that Erin was unusually ambitious, intelligent and capable from a young age. In fact, I suspect Erin was/is often the smartest person in the room, wherever she goes.
  3. Relations with Father David Richardson. While Erin is obviously extremely close with her mother Deanna, the relationship with her father appears less so.  In the acknowledgements of Finding Freedom, Erin addresses her father suggesting both gratitude and estrangement.  “You may never read this…but without you I’m not sure who I would be…. I found my life’s passion standing at the stove, and it’s all because of you.”  I found no evidence of David Richmond publicly commenting on his relationship with his oldest daughter who is a public figure. In contrast, Erin has characterized  her father  (not a public figure) as heavy drinking and explosive .    
  4. Ex-Husband Conspired to Ruin Her Career & Life. Erin implies her ex-husband conspired against her in a manipulative way at the absolute lowest point in her life.  Basically, he convinced her to go to rehab. Then while she was away, unilaterally closed the restaurant and took custody of her biological child. By Erin’s own words, she was a prescription pill addict and alcoholic at that time. Additionally, she was depressed and suffered from crippling anxiety.  In recent interviews, she attributes her addictions and depression to her ex-husband’s cruel behavior. However, in a Tumblr post from 2013, she attributes at least some her behavior to the stress of running the restaurant. She acknowledges “running herself into the ground with work,” “needing to step back,” the need to “take a breath, ” etc.

    In her new memoir, Erin seemingly admits to acts of physical abuse against her husband. “My life had come undone, and there was no way to hide it anymore. There were marks on Tom’s face to prove it,” she says. 

  5. Post Sobriety. Based on social media postings from 2013-present, it seems Erin spent a lot of time alone working on the second incarnation of The Lost Kitchen and traveling to places like Los Angeles & Europe to further her career. This speaks well to her steely determination, ambition  and resilience. However, it flies in the face of the idea that a few months stint in rehab cost her both her child and career.  Had she not gone to rehab, any number of worse outcomes could have happened.

Conclusion

Erin French dreamed of running a successful restaurant. She achieved it beyond belief. Her efforts should be recognized and commended. 

Like many of life’s winners, decisions she made along the way mostly kept her moving toward her goals. I’m certain she would disagree with this. Of course, she had setbacks, as well. However, Erin French’s remarkable success is admirable & fascinating in of itself.   

Freedom Falls Grist Mill HistoricVisiting The Lost Kitchen

Erin French’s Lost Kitchen is an exclusive eatery located in a historic grist mill the rural town of Freedom, Maine. 

While reservations are extremely difficult to procure, the restaurant is well known by foodies worldwide. In fact, the full scale media buzz generated for Erin’s rural Maine restaurant is extraordinary.  

 

The Lost Kitchen’s Grist Mill Location

 

TLK is now located in the historic grist mill of Freedom Maine.  

A gristmill grinds grain into flour. The name refers to the grinding equipment as well as the building. Gristmills, powered by water wheels, have been around for many centuries, some as early as 19 BC. In the United States, they were common by the 1840s

source: Mansfield Historical Museum and Heritage Center

What is The Lost Kitchen’s Address?

The Lost Kitchen is located at 22 Mill St. Freedom, ME 04941

Freedom Maine Town Postcard
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