Ariane Daguin is the owner and CEO of D’Artagnan, the renowned gourmet food purveyor. Famous for providing humanely-raised meats, from game and foie gras to organic chicken and prepared charcuterie, the name D’Artagnan is synonymous with top-quality food produced with care.
For a 7th generation of a long line of chefs in Gascogne, Southwest France, a career in food might have seemed natural, but Ariane decided to pursue an academic degree at Columbia University.
While working part-time for a New York pâté producer, Ariane was in the right place when the opportunity to market the first domestically produced foie gras presented itself. She founded D’Artagnan in 1985 as the first purveyor of game and foie gras in the U.S. Devoted advocates for natural, sustainable and humane production, Ariane and D’Artagnan have been at the forefront of the organic movement in America, pioneering organic, free-range chicken (years before the USDA allowed the word “organic” on the label) and humanely-raised veal.
This passionate path towards excellence without compromise takes its roots in a deep respect of French Gastronomy and French traditional animal husbandry. In addition to running D’Artagnan, developing new products and researching innovative and ecologically responsible methods of production, Ariane is on the board of the French-American Chamber of Commerce in NY, and she is on the City Harvest Food Board.
Recognized in 1994 by The James Beard Foundation “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America,” Ariane is now a member of the Awards Committee. In 2005 Ariane received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Bon Appetit magazine and, in September 2005, was named both Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’honneur and Officier dans l’Ordre National du Mérite.
Her memoir, D’Artagnan à New York, was published by Grasset in 2010. She lives in New York City with her daughter Alix.