Happy Birthday Le Creuset—To 100 Years Of Cooking And Style

Forbes

2 days ago

The return of the original color but with a special 100th birthday sparkle: Flamme Dorée.
2025 marks a very special birthday for a brand that has become synonymous with good cooking and exceptional style. Le Creuset products are world-renowned for being colorful workhorses in the kitchen, and, with a history rooted in France, the brand also coincides with a history of culinary excellence. Gourmands know that no matter your cuisine of choice, incorporating French techniques usually means an added level of scholarship and attention to detail. It is not much a stretch, therefore, to believe a century-old French product also leads the way when it comes to must-have items for an ardent cook's kitchen. And with the recent accolade as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies of the year, 100 years in, a party is indeed in order.
Say 'Le Creuset'
First things first. Before thinking about the array of products or the extensive color palette, we have to set something straight: how to pronounce the name. Many of us who have studied French may think, bien sûr, c'est facile! But, of course, it is NOT easy for many, so the brand regularly shares a little tutorial on just how to do it. Likely a 1oo-year-old conundrum, they at least add a dash of humor while setting the record straight:
Le Creuset signature cream, wide Dutch oven; with a small cream cocotte along the side.
Whether you say it correctly or trip your way through it, the product has reached heirloom status, and is something regularly listed on wedding registries. People have been known to design their entire kitchens around a piece of Le Creuset cookware. Chef Gaby Dalkin of What's Gaby Cooking is such a big fan, she occasionally collaborates with the brand and cheerleads for it on her social media. She received her first Le Creuset as a wedding present in 2013.
In 2024, the popular LA-based chef hosted two events that highlighted Le Creuset products, one with Secret Supper in Brooklyn and another as a 'Friendsgiving Dinner' held in Los Angeles for her many fans. At each soirée, Le Creuset ovens, pans, braisers and more were showcased on each table, at the bar, in nooks all over the gardens, and filled with bouquets of flowers, bites or butters.
'They are timeless,' said Dalkin, who received a braiser at her wedding. 'From cooking in it to serving in it to leaving it on the counter as an art piece, it's the perfect vessel.' Guests of the New York dinner got to take home a mini, round cocotte in Pêche, the signature color of the evening; and at the November 'Friendsgiving' dinner guests brought home a cocotte in nuit, a deep navy blue.
From Le Creuset's Outdoor Alpine Collection, which launched in May, the line includes six pieces, ... More including a skillet, pizza pan, grill basket, grill pan, and the brand's signature Dutch oven.
'I've had my Creuset for seven years now and it still cooks like I just got it out of the box.'Although the company brings in new colors and retires others, it has ushered in upwards of 200 new shades since 1995 and maintains a few beloved signatures, including Flame or Volcanique (in France), the brand's trademark hue.
Chef Julian Martinez of Barbareño in Santa Barbara at a 2024 Secret Supper dinner. Featured are one ... More the brands smallest vessels, the ramekin in the nectar hue.
To honor 100 years, Le Creuset produced a limited-edition version of the original color, called Flamme Dorée--which means Golden Flame--and has added an element of shimmer from various minerals that sparkle when the light hits the surface. They've also produced a 'crucible knob' in gold to further customize some of the products and pay homage to the brand's special birthday.
The Anniversary celebrations have ramped up in 2025 with the brand serving as a collaborative partner at numerous culinary events across the country, including several dinners with Secret Supper---celebrating its 10th Anniversary---and with Cherry Bombe, the pre-eminent media company that highlights women in the food and beverage industry.
Cherry Bombe has been working with Le Creuset specifically for its summer-long Tastemakers Tour events, which has featured many of the brands signature products, including pieces from the newest line, the Alpine Outdoor Collection, which launched in May. There's a black matte finish on top of each cast iron piece in the line meant to endure high heat from cooking over an open flame.
'My first ever live cooking demo was for a Le Creuset store in 2011. Today, I still use the cocottes, the signature skillet, or the pan, for everything from fruit crumbles to savory French toast or home fries. I love that you can bring them from stove to oven.'French culinary icon Chef Jacques Pepin is also celebrating a milestone this year; the multi-talented chef turns 90 in December. In addition to celebrations throughout 2025 for his birthday, he has joined a birthday parade of sorts with numerous chefs from around the world wishing Le Creuset a Happy 100th. He was recently featured in a video, created by the cookware brand, that shared one of his many Le Creuset memories, most notably about the collection of pots he and his wife Gloria began to collect when they first moved to New York in the late 50s. Today, some of those very pots have been handed down to his daughter, Claudine, who still works closely with her father on television shows and cooking videos, and is the founder of the Jacques Pepin Foundation.
Le Creuset: A Century of Colorful Cookware by Assouline Publishers in Paris was released in April. ... More The hefty book includes an introduction by journalist Brett Martin.
You can't have a legendary company with a 100 year old history without having something just as beautiful and tangible and storied to capture the work and wares of all that's being celebrated. Released in April, Le Creuset: A Century of Culinary Cookware includes an introduction by journalist Brett Martin and was published by Parisian lifestyle brand Assouline.
Coming in at 300 pages and nine pounds, the glossy and richly colorful book dives into the company's long history and includes everything from the meticulous process of how each vessel is cast, to advertisements, to personal stories about family gatherings large and small, and even some tried and true recipes.
Although 2025 is half gone, the celebrations for Le Creuset are far from over. More stories will be shared and more pieces will be given as gifts or passed down from one to another; and with that, a new generation of cooks will fall in love. So, whether it becomes the tried and true vessel for cooking a daily family meal or sits and shows off its sleek style from the stove, the brand
From the foundry in France, this image gives new meaning to the line: "if you can't stand the heat, ... More get out of the kitchen."
'I've had my Dutch Oven since 2015 and I still use it everyday. It's pink and makes me happy. I use it for everything from sauteeing veggies or making bolognese, to making tacos, soup, or chicken stock.'