FREEDOM — Erin French is opening her new restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, the last weekend in June, in the Mill at Freedom Falls in Freedom. After closing the first — and widely popular — chapter of the The Lost Kitchen in Belfast two years ago, French spent the summer of 2013 holding dinner events at farms across the region, cooking out of an Airstream trailer. Now, she is ready to move back into a kitchen. It's all part of her ever-evolving unique and innovative approach to preparing meals for people.

“I’m calling it ‘fork to field’ instead of ‘farm to table’,” she said, describing her summer dinner events.

French bought and renovated the Airstream that served as her kitchen for dinners she held at farms across the Midcoast last summer. Dinners complimented each farm’s unique setup.

I visited Doralenna Farm, in Montville, owned by Victoria and Andrew Marshall, as French was prepping for a dinner one night last summer. Wooden tables sat on grass under apple trees. Some tables had creaky wooden chairs, others were low to the ground with cushions as seats.

Next to the dining area sat the Airstream, Erin’s mobile kitchen. On a prep table sat ingredients from Dorolenna Farm that would be cooked for the meal that night.

“The whole focus is, I would say, seasonal,” French said. “I hate saying seasonal cooking, it’s so outdated. More like cooking by place. We’re cooking by this land. When it’s time for whatever the land is producing, that’s what we're cooking. It’s really the land that dictates what I cook.”

This cooking by place continues to drive French’s culinary endeavors. Her next step is to open The Lost Kitchen in the Mill at Freedom Falls. 

Q: How did you come to find yourself with the opportunity to reopen The Lost Kitchen (TLK) in the new Freedom Mill?

A: A few summers ago, I was working with Village Farm, buying produce for The Lost Kitchen in Belfast, and Polly Shyka had told me about this project (Freedom Mill) that Tony Grassi, her father-in-law, was going to be doing. She said, 'maybe that’s something you’d be interested in.'

At that point I said, “That sounds awesome, but there’s just no way.”

I was already overwhelmed with what I had on my plate. Polly just said to keep it in mind and put the word out if you hear of anyone in that realm, maybe an artist, maybe food related.

I drove past the mill a couple times over that next year and saw that it was coming near completion. 

At that point, I was starting the Airstream project and looking for spaces to host suppers. I contacted Polly wondering if I maybe could throw a supper in the space (the mill).

Polly put me in touch with Tony and he said: “You should really think about doing something there, Erin. We don’t really have a renter yet. We have lots of possibilities and lots of people that have been interested, but nothing has been finalized yet. Just go on down, the door is unlocked.”

So I drove right down and walked in, and, just, my jaw dropped. I knew in my stomach this is what’s going to happen next; this is the next chapter. And it was pretty immediate.

Q: Are you planning to do anything with the Airstream at the new space in Freedom?

A: Well, not at that space, but I still want the option to be able to host those events. Obviously, I won’t be doing very many events [with the Airstream], because I will really be focused with what’s going on [at the mill]. At the minimum, just do one great [dinner] somewhere next summer, just to be able to do something different and continue to keep providing alternative dining experiences. I’m calling it “fork to field,” instead of “farm to table.” Bringing the fork to the field, eat straight out of the field. And we did everything, from greenhouses, under orchards, in fields and in barns, so every single dinner was different.

Q: Have you been in contact with the other businesses that are in the mill? Are you going to be interacting with them often?

A: Yeah! Well, the Mill School is upstairs with 20 families whose kids are going there three days a week. Basically, it’s a supplement school to home schoolers. So the kids go three days a week there, and the other two they’re home. And then there’s Colleen Hanlon-Smith, who runs the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets. Her office is right in the corridor of the entrance where we’re going to be. We are all tight and excited to be in the same space together. They’re all new friends for me, but immediately we got along really well. I’m excited. The combination feels like a lovely pairing.

Q: The term “farm to table” has become a somewhat cliched term. Would “fork to field” be a more informative/descriptive term of what you’re doing?

A: “Fork to field” was more what the Airstream project was. The new TLK at the mill is more about community gathering space. It’s going to be a very different format than the previous TLK. The new TLK will have a small market and a cafe and will be more focused around breakfast and lunch. With a calendar of events for dinners, this will be a communal single experience, kind of what we were doing at the previous TLK, but more on Saturday nights where you just come in, and you’re going to have whatever we’re making for dinner. You’re going to have four to five courses, and we are going to do it all up. Point is that we’re all gathered around the table and where we’re located in town. The idea is to bring people.

Q: Some people have told me, “Oh, TLK is in Freedom, no one is going to go there for lunch or breakfast.”

A: You’re going to be surprised. How many people that are eating in Belfast at Chase’s or eating at the old TLK, where do you think they’re all coming from? They’re not all coming right from Belfast, they’re coming from Searsmont, they’re coming from Liberty, they’re coming from Unity, they’re coming from other places. I questioned that at first, but now I have no doubt in my mind. It’s not a big deal for people to drive 25 minutes. They’re used to having to drive half an hour. I’ve had such an outpouring of people, community members, who reach out to me and say, “I’m so excited! We live out in Searsmont, or we have a camp out here, and we’re always driving through. It really is accessible, and if you’re 25 minutes from Belfast, you’re 25 minutes from Waterville. I think it’s going to put Freedom on the map. I’ve been saying “Freedom Found” in more ways than one for me.

Q: Eating at TLK in Belfast always felt like a personal experience with you. How will this experience continue and be different in your new space?

A: There will be an open kitchen. It’s still going to have me all over it like it did before, where every little conscious decision went through my fingers. I’m going to carry on the personal connection between myself and customers. It’s just going to be a different setting. It’s much more about the space. It needs to be a space where people can come and have a really great homemade English muffin, do some computer work and have a great coffee and access to wifi. And then bring your friends on Saturday night for a really great dinner. Its like a second living room. I think everyone needs that second space where they have a place where they can leave their home and have a comfort space. Everyone has their comfort space, where they go and see familiar faces. There needs to be something out in that area for people to connect.

Q: As a person who grew up in Waldo County, it’s inspiring to see the success of TLK, and to see young people move back here and try to make whatever they’re doing work here.

A: We believe in it, and we’re going to show that its going to work.

The Lost Kitchen will be opening the last weekend in June. Erin will not be serving alcohol in the restaurant but she will open a wine shop in the mill building where customers can purchase bottles for their meal. She is appearing on Food Network on June 15th and is also working on a book project. Erin says to access updates on her and The Lost Kitchen go to her blog, http://thelostkitchen.tumblr.com/, or visit The Lost Kitchen’s facebook page. To subscribe to her email newsletter, send her a message via The Lost Kitchen’s facebook.