The restaurant in the barren village has become a mecca for Internet celebrities.

#192 is my lucky number.

It's like winning the lottery. The customer said happily.

After making numerous phone calls, I finally got a reservation for The Lost Kitchen.

Located in Freedom, Maine, a town with a population of 719 (at last count), this small restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, has recently become one of the most popular destination restaurants in the United States.

This small town located in a remote village is only open in spring, summer and autumn. As long as reservations are made, it will cause a heated telephone reservation phenomenon.

How exactly is this done? Many media outlets have been discussing the success model of this small restaurant, causing widespread discussion on the Internet.

The Lost Kitchen website doesn't have much introduction, simple pages, no advanced online location service, just a reservation phone.

When I finally got through, it was Erin French, the owner's mother in her sixties, who answered.

The old lady still adhered to the old rule of first come, first serve. Whoever connected first would get the reserved number.

From May 1 to New Year's Eve, this small restaurant is only open for eight months a year. Every year, from April 1 morning, when it opens for telephone reservations, it will receive a series of calls.

According to Eileen, more than 10,000 calls were received on the first day of April.

Ask how she started the restaurant? What's her secret to success?

"It's all accidental. "Owner and chef," said Eileen, a 36-year-old single mother.

In fact, before opening the restaurant, except for when she was 14, she served burgers in her parents 'small restaurant, and Eileen's life had little to do with cooking.

After graduating from high school, Eileen attended Northeastern University in Boston and went to work in California after graduation. Her dream was to become a doctor.

However, at the age of 21, an unexpected pregnancy terminated her plans. She returned home and settled in Belfast.

From the bustling big city back home town, independent raising son Jaime Eileen, in order to make a living, in addition to selling her own baked goods, and in a restaurant as a waiter.

Working in a restaurant, Ailin gradually learned the basic skills of cooking and even discovered her talent for cooking.

At the age of 30, she decided to start her own business. She opened a secret food club in her kitchen, named "The Lost Kitchen." Her first guests were her relatives and friends. Even the meal fee was a form of free donation.

Eileen's culinary talents are quickly revealed. She frantically researches new recipes. With her creativity and cooking skills, she constantly develops amazing new dishes. There is no fixed menu in this gourmet club, which is refreshing every time.

As a result, the secret club "The Lost Kitchen" soon became a famous local dining place.

So Aileen and her husband bought an old grain warehouse, after five months of renovation, opened her first restaurant: "The Lost Kitchen."

"At the time, the restaurant was so popular that I could say I became a local celebrity overnight. "said Eileen in an interview with the New York Times.

However, the good times don't last long. Two years later, a malicious divorce lawsuit broke Eileen's heart and lost everything, including her savings, restaurant, house and even an old vase left by her grandmother. Except for the name of the restaurant "The Lost Kitchen", everything went back to more than ten years ago.

So she took her son back to Freedom again. With her parents 'support, she bought an old 1965 Airstream RV and transformed its interior into a kitchen.

The Lost Kitchen became a mobile restaurant, serving dinners and meals across Maine.

In 2013, Eileen noticed an abandoned old mill near the town falls, always unused.

"The first time I saw it, I realized it belonged to me. Undeterred, Eileen convinced her investors (parents and relatives) to finance her purchase of the mill.

A lot of people don't think Eileen's restaurant in this remote town will work."Who drives hours to eat here? Her opponents said.

Always supportive of her mother, but never questioning Eileen's decisions.

With her mother's support, Eileen rebuilt the abandoned mill. She bought a lot of old furniture and old boards from the flea market and decorated it herself. Under Eileen's skillful hands, the mill changed its appearance again. The Lost Kitchen reopened here.

Now, when people walked in, they stepped on the heavy wooden floor full of leather shells. The dining table here was the most traditional farm table that Aileen had found from the garage sale. The roof also had the suspension of the mill.

Everything is full of the strong New England bucolic flavor of the Northeast.

Not only that, but Eileen's dishes are full of nature, with the freshest vegetables, fruits, milk and meat from local farms. Eileen always has a way to create amazing delicious dishes in a simple way.

Despite being located in a sparsely populated town with limited transportation, Eileen, described by food critics as "having an extraordinary magic," attracts a steady stream of customers.

Many people deliberately drive from New York to eat here.

Maine is an important agricultural state in the United States, and it is rich in many kinds of fruits and vegetables. The way I cook represents me and the place, everything is local, everything is fresh.〞

"Although I haven't really been in the kitchen since I was a child, but following my mother and grandmother in the kitchen, I have also been influenced by my ears and eyes. The dishes I cook are the simplest and most traditional American foods, which contain the philosophy of the previous generation and nature."〞

Eileen commented on her cooking skills.

Unlike many chefs, who always plan their menus, she cooks in a casual way. One day, for example, her farmer friend sends her pictures of ripe cauliflower in his field, and at night, the cauliflower becomes food for guests at the restaurant.

The staff in the restaurant were all local farmers, many of whom were friends who grew up with Eileen.

One visitor commented,"We hardly felt like we were dining out at this restaurant. The atmosphere was very relaxed and homey."

At that time, Eileen named her restaurant The Lost Kitchen, thinking that it was to restore the beautiful kitchen life that had disappeared and was desirable.

Even if it was difficult to find a job, Ailin was unwilling to expand her business scale, let alone prolong her time.

"Having experienced many low points in life, I understand that the most important thing in life is warm family and friends. Eileen said.

This is a stall era, in order to pursue success, people give up their lives, abandon their friends, pollute their homes, wanton plunder of natural resources.

Returning to her hometown, Ailin found the relationship between man and land, man and man, man and things, man and nature through delicious food, awakening many people's desire to return to the countryside and nature. Her restaurant has become a legend.