THE STORY OF WEBER

When George Stephen, founder of Weber-Stephen Products Co., designed his first kettle-shaped barbecua grill in 1951, he sparked a backyard revolution. Tired of complaining about flat, open braziers that exposed his food to wind, ashes and charring flare-ups, he decided to put a lid on it - literally.

At the time, George worked at Weber Brothers Metal Works outside Chicago, welding large metal spheres together to make buoys. It was in these very spheres that his idea took shape. He knew a rounded cooking bowl with a lid was the key to success. He added three legs to the bottom, a handle to the top, and took the oddity home.