Since they could only serve at a quarter capacity (which is just 12 people at the Lost Kitchen), French says it didn't make a lot of sense to open the restaurant. The group has no paid staff members and uses donated money to buy produce from farmers, support a local gleaning program, help local gardeners and more. "My friend will text me a photo of a cauliflower in her field, and I'll say, 'Bring me 12 of those.' Common among the endless forms are word-of-mouth (read: Facebook) marketing, set menus, secret locations with directions sent a few days before the dinner, and long-table dining where guests fraternize with others they may not know. Its not a for-profit endeavor, but it has profound payoffs that seem more important now. There is nothing secret about the Lost Kitchen now. Could this work? She had no inkling then of her future entrepreneurship. Thanks to a combination of a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan and a state grant, they were able to keep their entire 13-person staff on the payroll. This place is remarkable for its cool service. She says she and Dutton, a media executive, never wanted to do a TV show just to be on TV. But when Dutton was approached by Joanna and Chip Gainess new Magnolia Network, they saw an opportunity. But the big night is not far off, she says, revealing via video call what has heretofore been a well-kept secret: Were thinking about mid-to-late July, but well open in a different form. That form, she explains, will likely feature little cabins or dining pods in the woods on her land, where servers would deliver meals to much smaller groups. By the time she was 14, she was flipping burgers on the line in her parents' diner located only a mile from the old mill. I lost my voice last week and it hasn't come back" Less than 24 hours later, donations to the group far exceeded what was raised in all of last year and the funds are continuing to roll in. On this chilly night in October 2019, Erin French comes out of the open kitchen into the rustic dining room and, in keeping with the restaurants convivial atmosphere, greets her guests with a toast. Four nights a week, French cooks with focused but easy efficiency for a sold-out room while her crew moves from the fryer to counter to tables; the feeling in the candlelit space is calm, festive, and homey all at once. Shop - THE LOST KITCHEN Secret suppers, also called underground restaurants or guerrilla dining, have been cropping up worldwide, from Singapore to Buenos Aires to San Francisco. And since she's always wanted places for people to stay the night after eating at the Lost Kitchen, she's building cabins near the restaurant. After a contentious divorce, she lost the restaurant and eventually reinvented herself by cooking out of an Airstream, driving around mid-coast Maine doing pop-up dinners in local barns, fruit orchards and farms. Joes Organics The first time she walked in, her jaw dropped. Soon after the shellfish is unloaded, the cars start lining up. One of the projects she and her team have been tackling is an online farmer's market with fresh, local food. Growtopia Farms Yallitizers This Italian restaurant survived 37 years until the pandemic. In 2013, chef Erin French lost almost everything. No one grows celery around here, the chef and owner tells the 48 diners seated inside the old mill building in this tiny town. French's almost entirely female crew, whom she counts as close friends, are also local farmers. Pasco Specialty. Bun Appetit finds loyal following at local farmers markets Erin and the staff get back to work after a false positive COVID-19 scare forced them to cancel the first dinner of the season.

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