Lost Kitchen, the

No one can bring small-town America to life better than a native, especially when it comes to Maine. Arguably one of the country's most off-the-beaten-path states, it enjoys four distinct seasons and an abundant natural bounty that comes from its coastline, rivers, farms, fields, and woods—a cook's dream. Erin French grew up in Freedom, Maine (population 719), helping her father man the griddle at his greasy-spoon diner. An entirely self-taught cook who used cookbooks and trial and error to form her culinary education, she now helms her dream restaurant in a restored historic mill in the same town, creating meals that draw locals and visitors from around the world to a dining room that feels like an extension of her home kitchen.