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Some people must search for their destiny; others, it seems, are born into it. So it was that Ariane Daguin was born with foie gras nearly coursing through her veins. Her father, Andre Daguin, chef-owner of Hotel de France in Auch, Gascony, has a nationwide reputation in France for his artistry with foie gras and other regional products. Ariane was deboning ducks, melting duck fat, and cooking terrines before she was 10 years old.
However, her adventuresome nature could not be contained in France. While attending Columbia University, she landed a job at a Manhattan-based producer of pates. One day, the enterprising Ariane saw opportunity knocking when a New York State farmer dropped a fresh foie gras on the counter. Seeing quality equal to anything she might find in France, she envisioned an exclusive distribution arrangement.
Ariane and George Faison, college friend and colleague, pooled their funds and their know-how to start D'Artagnan, the first purveyor of foie gras in the U.S. in 1985. Ariane is a member of various culinary organizations, among them Les Dames d'Escoffier, American Institute of Wine & Food, Women Chefs and Restauranteurs, Conseil du Commerce Exterieur de la France, Round Table for Women in Food Service, and La chaine des rotisseurs.
Adding to her list of accomplishments, in February 2001 Ariane opened her upscale restaurant, D'Artagnan, The Rotisserie, with much success. The restaurant featuring the cuisine of southwest France has already received two stars from William Grimes of The New York Times.
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