Jules Leroy

The terroir ceramicist

• Jules is inspired by rocks, cooking and tea
• Local minerals are essential to his work
• He opened his workshop in 2022

Jules Leroy is the son of a winemaker and a cheesemaker, and as such it could be said that he grew up surrounded by good produce. After training with the Compagnons du Devoir as an apprentice cooper for several years, he discovered clay. Originally, he only wanted to make teapots for Gong Fu Cha. Then one day he met a star chef who is a friend of the family in the local grocery store and told him that he was making pottery: “Do you make plates by any chance?” From that moment on, Jules began working with chefs and was able to bring all his passions together into his craft. Jules describes his process as being centered on the potter’s wheel. He enjoys searching for the perfect glaze as well as playing with different blends to add complexity and depth to his work.

Where

Interview

©THEOPHILE Nicot-Kéchichian et Brieuc Mellier

©THEOPHILE Nicot-Kéchichian et Brieuc Mellier

Are you self-taught?

I first learned to observe, to understand gestures from masters while practising my first profession. This helped me a lot to progress and learn on my own. Today I am also surrounded by masters and I do not hesitate to meet and question them to help me in my research.

How is territory reflected in your craft?

I need to understand the geology of my territory, the types of rocks, their origins, their formations to highlight them as best as possible. This is why I like working with restauranteurs. We have the same concern for detail, good and local produce.

Who inspires you?

Alain Passard, the 3-star chef, advocating spontaneity, gesture, locality, and emotion. I transpose a lot of his thinking into my work. Soetsu Yanagi, the Japanese writer, thinker, and collector. Known for his translated work The unknown Craftsman, his book is on my bedside table. And finally, Takeshi Yasuda, who is a Great Potter.

Would you describe your work as innovative?

My innovation is to use abandoned rocks and to use gravel to create poetry but I do not want that to be an end in itself. The idea is to make them indispensable through their compositions. It is the same with cooking: having good, natural, and healthy produce is good but you also need to know how to cook with it.

Jules Leroy is a rising star: he began his career in 2022 and he started teaching in 2025

Works

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