La Cornue and the intangible heritage of French cuisine
Did you know that not so long ago UNESCO classified French cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity?
The “world intangible heritage” list, includes the Royal Ballet of Cambodia and Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival. It seeks to protect cultural practices in the same way as UNESCO protects sites of cultural value or great natural beauty. The UNESCO experts singled out French gastronomy as a “social custom aimed at celebrating the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups”.
Let’s be clear about this. It doesn’t mean that people don’t eat equally well in other countries, but it can be said that the French were the first to turn cooking into a noble art form. It’s no coincidence that most chefs who shape the concept of haute cuisine come from France, nor that the company making some of the world’s most extraordinary cookers, La Cornue, does so too.
The world’s first vaulted gas oven was patented by Albert Dupuy in Paris in 1908, and thus La Cornue was born. Some time later – immediately after the end of the Second World War – the mood of the country was less than bright and it was at precisely that moment that Albert’s son, André, had the brilliant idea of bringing a little ‘joie de vivre’ to the kitchen by enamelling cooker sides with colourful tints to replace the monotonous and ubiquitous white. The choice was an excellent one and became one of the company’s distinctive traits.
The Château cookers line was introduced in 1964 and made the company famous world-wide. It is hand-made, solely to order, and is available in many variations of finishing, colour and materials. Each time a Château is ordered, a single person supervises the project from start to finish.
La Cornue nowadays is distinctive not only for the style and quality of its creations, but also for the status they confer: a name capable of fully evoking France’s fascinating and inimitable savoir-faire.
On account of these attributes, La Cornue has been given EPV (Living heritage) status, the most important recognition in France of the country’s inestimable excellence.
Figura and La Cornue
As the agent for La Cornue in the UK, we can help you select the perfect range cooker, including specifications, fuel source, colour and trim. Naturally, we can also organise delivery and installation, too.
We are equally happy to work directly with clients or with clients’ interior designers, architects or developers and we are able to source and procure for projects worldwide.
La Cornue and Figura share a passion for craftsmanship and a commitment to beauty in every detail.
Please get in touch if you are considering a La Cornue. We would love to hear from you.
