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.