To mark our 100th anniversary and the launch of our Assouline book, we celebrated a night in tribute to a century of culinary heritage, craftsmanship, and colour. Journeys through the kitchens and hearts of chefs, as well as lifelong friends and fans of the brand, were shared. Featuring intimate stories from South African icons like Franck Dangereux, Zola Nene, and Pete Goffe-Wood. Assouline is a commemorative edition which blends personal anecdotes, timeless recipes, and never-before-seen photographs into a celebration of the cookware that has shaped generations. More than a book, it’s a love letter to the joy of cooking and the legacy of Le Creuset.
"Le Creuset is a part of my memories of childhood and my French heritage."
Flame-Coloured Memories from Cannes to Cape Town
"My earliest memory of Le Creuset is with my grandmother when I was around four years old in Cannes, France." He recalls how his grandmother had a large, round cast-iron casserole with a lid and a rectangular terrine, both in Flame, our first and most iconic colour. "These were the two Le Creuset items in her kitchen, and I always helped her cook with them."
Franck says that, "food was a big deal in my family, and both my grandmothers were incredible cooks. They both had the same Le Creuset items! My grandmother made pâté en croûte and countless stews in her cast iron casserole." These flame items were always in their kitchen—they were his first memories of Le Creuset.
"Le Creuset is designed for home use, but I can testify to how it stands its ground in a professional kitchen – I still have pans that are around 15 years old, and they’re still going strong." Franck believes that when you buy a Le Creuset cast iron casserole, it will outlive three generations in your family! "In my house in France, we still have those same Flame pots and terrines from my grandmother’s kitchen; they’re still there!" he says. Franck chooses to invest in Le Creuset for its excellent quality and beauty, and to pass it down to someone who loves cooking with it as much as he does. "Cast iron is my favourite as they are timeless pieces that will become heirlooms for your kids."
His favourite colour is orange, so it’s only fitting that his favourite Le Creuset colour is Flame, "maybe it’s nostalgia because it was my first association with good food from childhood," says Franck.
Franck speaking at our Assouline Launch Event in Cape Town
Cooking with our Alpine Outdoor Collection
Franck in the kitchen with Le Creuset 
"My love affair with Le Creuset started 15 years ago with a Heart Shaped Casserole in Cassis"
Love Coloured in Cassis
Zola's journey and love affair with our brand began 15 years ago with a Heart Casserole in Cassis, a piece that sparked a lifelong passion for our colourful cookware. "Back when I was still in Chef's School, I asked my family for a Le Creuset item for my birthday," saying how they were confused why she wanted 'pots', only to state, "No, I want Le Creuset!" This deep purple casserole still stands proudly in her kitchen, featuring in many of her cooking videos.
After more than a decade of collaborations, Zola’s story came full circle with her feature in the Le Creuset Assouline Book. "One of my highlights of the project was working alongside Franck on the South African section of the book," says Zola.
Zola MCing our Assouline Launch Event
Zola Serving her Monkey-gland Lamb Shoulder Roast
Zola in the kitchen with Le Creuset
“If your equipment is of the best quality, you can be a cook”
From Cordon Bleu to Cast Iron
Alicia is the daughter of Lesley Faull, founder of the Silwood School of Cookery; she literally grew up in the kitchen, noting how she "virtually learnt to cook with Le Creuset". After completing a course at the Cordon Bleu in London, she returned to South Africa in 1967, where she joined the newly established Silwood cookery school and became the first recipient of the Silwood Cordon Bleu Certificate.
She has had a relationship with Le Creuset dating back to the late 1960s, starting in England, where she recalls using and cooking with Le Creuset, "I remember in 1966, every single Le Creuset casserole was orange, there wasn’t another colour!"
Someone she knows house very sadly burnt down, nothing remained, except the bath and a Le Creuset Oval Casserole, with just tiny bubbles, "proving they’re indestructible, even if you don’t look after them!"
Silwood has cooked with Le Creuset for decades, and the first colour used was a blue hue to match their brand colour. "Cast iron grills are a standard at the school," says Alicia
Alicia with her daughter Carianne, viewing the Assouline Book
Alicia at our Assouline Launch in Cape Town
Alicia & Franck at our Assouline Launch Event
"I don't have a favourite colour, but I do collect Flame and have a big Rainbow collection"
Leading with Heart, Serving with Soul
Zanele has been with Le Creuset for the past 19 years and is currently our longest-serving employee. Bubbly and approachable, she confidently leads her team as Store Manager at our Boutique Store in Winifred Mandela Precinct Mall, Bryanston, Sandton, a role she has held since 2017.
From humble beginnings to being part of our centenary celebrations, her Le Creuset journey began in 2006, when she was appointed as a casual. In 2008, she was promoted to Store Manager at our Killarney store; thereafter, she was promoted again to our Cresta Branch in 2014. Zanele continues to grow and show excellent service with her friendly personality and knowledgeable service. Now leading a big store and her own team, passing along all of her expertise.
"She is authentic, customers love her – they are not just customers – she knows them on a first-name basis, and customers ask for her by name. She knows everything about our customers – it’s almost like loyalty on a plate."
Zanele notes how customer experiences are special, making special mention of a particular customer who is very dear to her heart and whom she helped grow her collection little by little. "She will only ask for me to assist her."
"I loved Le Creuset before I could even pronounce it"
A Life in Colour
For Zanele, Le Creuset is more than cookware—it’s a lifelong companion in the kitchen and a symbol of inspiration. “I have two homes filled with Le Creuset, in all the colours,” she says with a smile, reflecting on a journey that began during her culinary school days.
It all started with a thoughtful gift. “While I was still attending culinary school, my husband wanted to motivate me and bought me my very first Le Creuset casserole in Flame,” she recalls. “My husband inspired me to love cooking, just like Le Creuset inspires us, as chefs, to want to cook more.”
“It’s a colourful brand—everyone loves it because it’s not just a part of our kitchens, it’s part of our stories around the table and in the home.” She notes how her latest cookbook is also coloured in a bold orange, which has only deepened her connection to the brand’s aesthetic. “I’m in love with the new Flamme Dorée colour!” A self-described lover of colour, she doesn’t play favourites. “I don’t have a favourite Le Creuset colour or item—I use everything every day.”
But for her, Le Creuset is more than just beautiful—it’s enduring. “The thing about Le Creuset is that it’s classic, it’s classy, it’s innovative, it grows, it’s excellence,” she says. “It’s something that you can keep forever. Of course, it's in the will for my daughters, and it’s definitely going to them.”
Her connection to the brand extends beyond the kitchen. “I feel at home in Le Creuset stores; the staff are always so inviting and warm. Thank you for always welcoming me!”
As Le Creuset celebrates its centenary, she feels honoured to be part of the legacy. “To be part of this milestone—100 years of excellence and legacy—it’s a huge honour to be part of this journey with Le Creuset.”
Zanele admiring Flamme Dorée at our Assouline Launch Event
Zanele visiting one of our Signature Boutique Stores
Zanele with her Le Creuset Collection
“If you want to cook properly, you need to do it in a Le Creuset, that’s the way it works!”
A Flame That’s Never Gone Out
As we celebrate a century, Pete marks his 40th anniversary as a chef. Pete first recalls his Le Creuset journey as living and cooking in London during the 90s, "My very first Le Creuset item was shipped to me by my mother-in-law. I still have the piece, it’s the Marmitout."
His long and notable journey of cooking has brought him close to the brand, stating, "You cannot have too many skillets; I have about 17, and it’s not enough!” Pete remarks that he loves Le Creuset as both a product and a brand for the myriad things they do.
In Pete's books, there is only one colour that matters, and it's Flame. "I absolutely love that they brought it back with a new twist", as he refers to our centenary colour, Flamme Dorée.
For him, cooking is about authentic cooking, cooking from a point of place. "If you’re going to cook and do it properly, you need to have the equipment that understands what you’re trying to cook - and that’s Le Creuset!”
"I’ve had sleepless nights thinking about various dishes, yet it always comes back to putting something in a casserole, into the oven, and allowing it to do its thing for 3 hours, like a brisket slowly breaking down and becoming a thing of beauty." Claiming on this is only possible in Le Creuset.
Pete states how there have come and gone all sorts of cooking equipment, but there is one standard that most chefs aren’t fortunate to have in their kitchens, but most have it in their homes, because it is, without a doubt, the singular best thing you can cook in.
Pete viewing our Assouline Book
Pete with Franck on shoot for Assouline
Pete speaking at our Assouline Launch EventA Long Legacy of Culinary Excellence
To commemorate Le Creuset’s 100th anniversary, we proudly introduce the launch of Le Creuset: A Century of Colourful Cookware in collaboration with Assouline.
This newly released coffee table book commemorates the legacy of Le Creuset, capturing a century of culinary heritage, innovation, and the unmistakable style that has made Le Creuset a global icon.
Tracing the story of how Le Creuset has played an integral role in bringing people together for a hundred years and will continue to do so for the next hundred, all in a blaze of colourful glory.
It offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the brand, never-before-seen photographs, anecdotes from the world’s top chefs and recipes to inspire. Featuring notable South African chefs and personalities, like Franck Dangereux and Zola Nene.
