2013 · A Dinner‑Table Question That Lit the Fuse

On a summer evening in 2013, Rémy was showing friends how effortlessly a French plancha sears vegetables and seafood. One guest—an American barbecue enthusiast—leaned in and asked: “Why don’t we have this back home?”

That casual remark did not fade. The very next morning Rémy called his longtime friend Gilles, an export professional who had spent years traveling between Europe and the U.S. They agreed to see whether the American market might embrace a European‑style cooktop built for backyard life.

2014‑2015 · Trade‑Show Road Tests & a Breakthrough Design

On a summer evening in 2013, Rémy was showing friends how effortlessly a French plancha sears vegetables and seafood. One guest—an American barbecue enthusiast—leaned in and asked: “Why don’t we have this back home?”

That casual remark did not fade. The very next morning Rémy called his longtime friend Gilles, an export professional who had spent years traveling between Europe and the U.S. They agreed to see whether the American market might embrace a European‑style cooktop built for backyard life.

2016‑2022 · From a Garage Prototype to Nationwide Reach

Under the brand name Le Griddle—easy for Americans to pronounce yet proudly French—the young company launched single‑, double‑, and triple‑burner gas models. A chance meeting at HPBExpo 2016 connected SISTERIA with Joe Phillips of Delano Distributing, who became the first U.S. importer. Delano’s nationwide dealer network put the griddle on showroom floors from Seattle to Miami.

The buzz grew quickly, fueled by the griddle’s distinctive cast‑iron core stamped in a diamond pattern and its unmatched ability to heat evenly while staying perfectly flat—features that captured the imagination of home cooks and pitmasters alike. Distributors, retalers and users hailed the discovery of this unique plate as a revolution in the griddle market—an invention that appears simple yet delivers every quality users were looking for.

By 2022, with an electric line added for condos and yachts, thousands of plates were sizzling burgers, tacos, and breakfast hash across North America. Even supply‑chain turbulence during the pandemic could not halt momentum—SISTERIA air‑freighted spare parts at its own expense to keep customers cooking.

During this period, Gilles Steckler stepped back from SISTERIA to concentrate on his other business ventures.

2023 · A Legal Storm and the Birth of FUSION™

Success, unfortunately, attracted turmoil. In early 2023, minority shareholder, and Stéphane ‘s brother, Rémy Lampaert filed a U.S. trademark for “Le Griddle French Cooking” in his personal name and attempted to block SISTERIA from using the very brand it had created. He also copied confidential CAD files and established a counterfeit production line in Spring, Texas, manufacturing griddles that mimicked the exterior design but lacked the patented plate.

SISTERIA launched civil and criminal proceedings in France and the United States, froze access to its engineering vault, and—critically—made a strategic decision: rebrand under a name that no one could hijack.

Thus FUSION™ was unveiled in November 2023. The word captures both the metallurgical fusion of two metals and the cultural fusion of French craftsmanship with American outdoor culture. Most long‑standing dealers—led by Delano Distributing—rallied behind the new brand. Certain former outlets, such as Cunningham Gas Products, elected to follow a separate course. Warranty coverage for genuine units transferred seamlessly, and production never paused.