A Home Run. Le Creuset and Major League Baseball™ have teamed up to cheer on your favorite team with winning culinary style. Introducing the Limited-Edition MLB™ Signature Series, our iconic 7.25 quart round Dutch oven is cast in four official colors and logos. Choose your team, and show your spirit with delicious meals season after season.
Shop the Limited-Edition MLB™ Signature Series
To celebrate the launch of this exciting new collection, we teamed up with some of our chef and influencer friends to share what they love about baseball – from the game to the crowds, and of course their favorite recipes to make while watching the game.
Here’s the all-star lineup for our conversation, in no particular batting order:
- Chef Matt Jennings, founder of Full Heart Hospitality and the Red Barn Kitchen, has been a lifelong Boston Red Sox™ fan. Try his Fenway™ Sausage and Peppers recipe, he says it’s “the ONLY snack to have while you are waiting to go in.”
- Jennifer Lake is a Chicago-native and host of the popular Style Charade lifestyle blog. She is a self-professed huge sports fan and roots for her hometown Chicago Cubs™.
- Chef Matt Gibson is the Senior Executive Chef of Legends Hospitality at Yankee Stadium™, so naturally he is a huge New York Yankees™ fan. Don’t miss his recipe for the Ultimate Steak Sandwich.
- Chef Ludo Lefevbre is a restaurateur, author and television personality. He has become an avid Los Angeles Dodgers™ fan since moving to his adopted city from France.
- Chef Graham Elliot, American chef, restaurateur and reality television personality, describes himself as a baseball fanatic and avid Chicago Cubs™ fan. When watching a game, he likes to put together “fancy versions” of classic ballpark foods, like his recipe for Pork Rind Nachos.
Q: What do you like best about baseball?
As we started talking to our panel, it quickly became clear that this team truly loves the game. Several noted that they are lifelong fans of baseball and their home team, some even went so far as to call themselves fanatics. From the crowd cheering to learning the intricacies of the game, or even just watching from the bench, it’s the entire experience that is enjoyable.
In particular, Matt G said that the best part for him was making it to the Postseason™ because “the energy in the stadium is so intense.”
Matt J told us that he loves “everything about baseball from the park, to the sounds, sights and smells, the rowdy nature of the crowd, the organ, sitting outside and watching the game pass - I find it very therapeutic. A lot of people think baseball is slow - and cumbersome and complicated, but these are all reasons I LOVE it.”
Q: Do you have a favorite memory or story to share about baseball?
This question garnered an enthusiastic response from our entire panel, because who doesn’t have a great memory or story about baseball? Some talked about the most memorable game they attended, while others talked about playing the sport growing up (even if the view was from the bench).
For Graham, he feels fortunate to have been a part of many memorable games: “I have been to 28 of 30 ballparks, have thrown out the first pitch in five of them and have been to the last few World Series™.”
Jennifer told us “One of my favorite memories was living a few blocks away from Wrigley Field™ right after college…I loved watching Cubs™ games with my windows open during those summer and fall days and hearing the live cheers from the stadium. Since there's a few seconds of delay on TV, I could always tell when the team had a great play and/or home run just prior to seeing it on the screen.”
On the other hand, Matt G remembers his first game in high school “I gave up a grand slam underneath my legs, and never went back.” Now that his 5-year-old son is starting to play baseball, he said that he is “surrounded by all-star baseball players, we will make sure to set him up for success!”
Q: Which baseball player(s) would you want at your table?
Our team responded to this question with an all-star lineup that would make for a fantastic dinner party! Babe Ruth was the favorite by far, along with other baseball greats such as Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Dwight Evans and Sandy Koufax.
Ludo also mentioned Clayton Kershaw because he felt that “there are similarities between chefs and pitchers. We both have to repetitively master the exact same movement time after time after time. It can be fun to change things up a bit, but the classic straightforward strike is the best. Although as a chef, I am looking for the home run.”
Q: What's your favorite thing to make and/or eat while watching the game?
Ballpark favorites like caramel corn, hot dogs and cheeseburgers topped the list here. But everyone had an original twist on these classic ballpark recipes. Matt J shared his recipe for Fenway™ Sausage and Peppers, while Ludo puts a French spin on the American hot dog with his Lentil Poached Sausages, served on a baguette with crispy onions. Pro tip: the lentils become a second meal if the game goes extra innings.
Q: Are you Team Hot Dog or Team Nacho?
This was one question that everyone agreed on - they are all Team Hot Dog! Most opted for a simple preparation of mustard, relish and chopped onions. But Jennifer told us her favorite hot dog of all time is from Hot Doug’s at Wrigley Field™. A Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with truffle aioli, foie gras mousse and fleur de sel is her hot dog of choice. Now that is really hitting it out of the park!
