I love memoirs, and Finding Freedom is no exception. I was initially drawn to this book based on French’s reputation in the culinary world. I could feel the way cooking is a part of her soul, and the descriptions of her dishes left me drooling.
The book starts out with her childhood, growing up in a diner owned by her father, and works through college, pregnancy and an abusive marriage, along with opening two restaurants. French’s journey wasn’t easy (see the trigger warnings below), and I appreciate the honesty she spoke with when sharing her darkest days. This is a big part of the book and it wasn’t easy to read, but necessary to understand her “why.” The story of her first restaurant broke my heart, and I was rooting for her so hard throughout the rest of the book.
I love that she built her dreams with a village of strong women - and explained how each of them contributed - and I enjoyed learning about her farm-to-table process. She puts her whole heart into her cooking, and I've started thinking about that when I'm cooking. I’d love to visit her restaurant some day!
TW: domestic abuse, alcoholism/addiction, suicide
The book starts out with her childhood, growing up in a diner owned by her father, and works through college, pregnancy and an abusive marriage, along with opening two restaurants. French’s journey wasn’t easy (see the trigger warnings below), and I appreciate the honesty she spoke with when sharing her darkest days. This is a big part of the book and it wasn’t easy to read, but necessary to understand her “why.” The story of her first restaurant broke my heart, and I was rooting for her so hard throughout the rest of the book.
I love that she built her dreams with a village of strong women - and explained how each of them contributed - and I enjoyed learning about her farm-to-table process. She puts her whole heart into her cooking, and I've started thinking about that when I'm cooking. I’d love to visit her restaurant some day!
TW: domestic abuse, alcoholism/addiction, suicide