Restaurateur Erin French to appear at State Theatre to launch new cookbook

Celebrated Maine chef and restaurant owner Erin French is coming to Portland next month to celebrate the release of her newest cookbook, "The Lost Kitchen: Seize the Supper."

The Oct. 11 launch event will take place at the State Theatre on Congress Street, which holds 1,300 people. The venue was chosen to accommodate both a large crowd and an audio-visual presentation, according to Josh Christie, co-owner of Print: A Bookstore, which is co-sponsoring the event. Print also partnered with the State Theatre for the launch of French's previous cookbook, "Big Heart, Little Stove."

Speaking about Print's cookbook events, Christie said, "Our cookbook events are successful. But the allure of The Lost Kitchen and the celebrity that comes from her memoir and the television show, they are at a different level, cookbook or not. When we have (famed novelist) Zadie Smith or Colm Tóibín, that's closer to the level of this one."

French runs The Lost Kitchen, a 50-seat restaurant in Freedom that is famously difficult to get into, along with a collection of cabins, a retail store and a café. She has built a national profile through three seasons of the Magnolia Network series "The Lost Kitchen" and a travel-focused show, "Getting Lost with Erin French," which streams on HBO Max.

"Seize the Supper," published by Celadon Books and priced at $40, is scheduled for release on Oct. 13. The cookbook is organized around the calendar, with recipes meant to suit shorter days and late-afternoon feasts, snowy winter nights by the fire, and springtime picnics, according to promotional materials.

Tickets for the 7 p.m. event range from $50 to $75 and include a signed copy of the book. People who pre-order the cookbook will also be entered into a drawing for a dinner and overnight stay connected to the restaurant. Similar promotions helped make the launch of "Big Heart, Little Stove" the single best-selling book in Print's history, Christie said.

French was originally scheduled to appear in conversation with Abby Elliott, an actress on the FX show "The Bear," but Elliott has since dropped out and organizers are seeking a replacement moderator.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or, without service fees, at the State Theatre box office at 609 Congress St. in Portland.