Erin French with Michael Dutton and Elizabeth Poett - Big Heart Little Stove (Calvary Presbyterian SF) (2024)

Presented in partnership with Calvary Presbyterian San Francisco.

Please note the venue has changed to Calvary Presbyterian at2515 Fillmore St, San Francisco. It was previously Book Passage Corte Madera.

Big Heart Little Stoveis your new go-to inspiration for cooking thoughtful and meaningful, yet refreshingly simple meals. With more than 75 recipes and her favorite hospitality “signatures,” Erin French—author ofThe Lost Kitchencookbook and theNew York Times-bestselling memoirFinding Freedom—invites readers to bring a piece of her beloved restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, home with them.

With dishes pulled from French’s family recipe box and the menu at The Lost Kitchen, ranging from irresistible nibbles like Pecorino Puffs and Gram’s Clam Dip; to luscious soups like Golden Tomato & Peach and Potato & Lentil with Bacon and Herbs; to heaping platters of family-style salads and sides like Peach & Blackberry Salad and Green Beans with Sage, Garlic, and Breadcrumbs; to show-stopping main courses like Pickle-Brined Roast Chicken and Wednesday Night Fish Fry; to French’s favorite all-purpose kitchen staples like Kitchen Sink Pesto and Floral Vinegar, this cookbook has all the tools you need for assembling a seamlessly special meal.

To round things out, there are beverages to sip as dinner comes off the stove (Fresh Fruit Shrubs, Slush Puppies) and desserts to make your guests feel truly looked after (Salted Caramel Custards, Roasted Peach Pie with Almond and Fennel). And because weekend mornings deserve celebrating too, there are feel-good treats like Sunday Skillet Cakes and Little Nutmeg Diner Donuts.

Regardless of whether it’s a dressed-up affair or a quick weeknight meal, French’s recommendations are the same: Start with the best ingredients you can find, keep it simple, and serve with love.

ButBig Heart Little Stoveis more than just a cookbook. With tips and tricks French has used in her own dining room—at home and in the restaurant—this book is your invitation to use what’s around you to create meaningful moments, from setting a table with found treasures, to adorning dishes with edible flowers, to thoughtful gestures such as offering a cold cloth on a hot day. Full of warmth and spirit,Big Heart Little Stovewill show you how to create more joy and connection around your table.

Erin Frenchis the owner and chef of The Lost Kitchen, a 40-seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine, that was recently named one ofTIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places and one of "12 Restaurants Worth Traveling Across the World to Experience" byBloomberg. She is the author of theNew York Timesbestselling memoir,Finding Freedom, and features in Magnolia Network’sThe Lost Kitchen. A born-and-raised native of Maine, she learned early the simple pleasures of thoughtful food and the importance of gathering for a meal. Her love of sharing Maine and its delicious heritage with curious dinner guests and new friends alike has been lauded by such outlets such asThe New York Times,Martha Stewart Living,NPR’sAll Things Considered,The Chew,CBS This Morning,The Today Show,Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, andFood & Wine.

Elizabeth Poett is a seventh-generation cattle rancher, author of the bestselling cookbook The Ranch Table, and star-host of the cooking and lifestyle show Ranch to Table, one of the founding shows of the Magnolia Network. Elizabeth was born and raised on Rancho San Julian, her family’s historic 14,000-acre cattle ranch on California’s Central Coast. In 2007, Elizabeth started Rancho San Julian Beef, a business selling her family’s ranch-raised, grass-fed beef directly to chefs and consumers. Her meats quickly became popular with California cooks and local chefs and have been served at restaurants across California. Elizabeth also is the author of the blog The Ranch Table and hosts a number of Ranch Table events throughout the year—cooking workshops, educational events, and intimate farm-to-table meals.

Michael Dutton is a recovering New Yorker whose career took him into the depths of the media content universe through such mainstays and bastions of news and entertainment as MTV Networks and the Associated Press. He honed skills as a producer as well as developed a keen understanding of the technical and business sides of the media industry. But in 2013, while still at the AP, Michael met Erin online and with the wink of an eye, his journey north from Manhattan to Maine began.

Today, Michael is Erin French’s husband and partner. Over the last 10 years, in addition to chopping wood, making fires, putting out fires, tending to chickens, renovating buildings, fixing anything from door knobs to hydro turbines, occasionally cleaning outhouses, and generally supporting the growth and forward momentum of the Lost Kitchen, he is also an executive producer of the Lost Kitchen TV show and manages all the media strategy and public relations for Erin and the Lost Kitchen.

Erin French photo courtesy of Greta Rybus. Elizabeth Poett photo courtesy of the publicist.