Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 2/16/2021 + 652 more book reviews

Erin French is a lover and a fighter. She loves her family, food, and nature (in that order). In her relatively young life, she's fought through drug addiction, harm to her self-worth from an emotionally distant father, far-reaching impacts of a bad marriage to an alcoholic husband, and much more. Her life story, to date, is skillfully told in the memoir Finding Freedom.

I wasn't familiar with French's world-renowned restaurant The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine, but I was engrossed in her story from the first chapter. My husband is a restaurant manager so my life is adjacent to the grueling demands of food service. Adding the other factors in Ms. French's life, including an unplanned pregnancy at age 21, her successes are a testament to her grit and indomitable spirit.

This memoir is blurbed by successful chefs/entrepreneurs Ina Garten, Joanna Gaines, and Martha Stewart among others, who praise French's determination and creativity. Thank you to Celadon Books for putting this in my hands, and adding "dinner at The Lost Kitchen" to my culinary bucket list.

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