A company of, by, and for "foodies"

Simply put, D’Artagnan is a company dedicated to putting the finest foie gras, meat, game, truffles, and mushrooms on the tables of American gastronomes whether at home or in restaurants.

Founded in 1985, we are the leading purveyor of foie gras, pates, sausages, smoked delicacies, organic game and poultry in the nation. All of New York’s four-star restaurants, for example, have D’Artagnan products on their menus.

In addition to being a group of "foodies" -- many of whom are former professional chefs -- dedicated to fine cuisine, the D’Artagnan team is equally dedicated to the quality and value of sustainable, responsible farming.

Established on the principles of procuring the freshest, cleanest and most natural products, D’Artagnan currently provides a range of over 300 items to the world’s top restaurants, hotels, retailers, and consumer chefs. From free-range organic and heritage meats to preservative free charcuterie, D’Artagnan continues to set the trend. We are also a frequent supporter of charity organizations such as Share Our Strength, March of Dimes, and City Harvest.

It all started with an American foie gras

Ariane Daguin was born into a world of great food. Her father, André Daguin, chef-owner of the Hotel de France in Auch, Gascony, is famous throughout France for his artistry with foie gras and other Gascon specialties. Ariane was an expert at deboning ducks, rendering duck fat, preparing terrines and cooking the game birds her great-grandfather hunted by the time she was ten.

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 gathered her financial resources and love of food and launched D’Artagnan, virtually the only purveyor of game and foie gras in the U.S. at the time.

A devoted advocate 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.

The creation of D’Artagnan coincided with a growing sophistication in American cuisine. According to Danny Meyer (owner of Union Square Café, Gramercy Tavern and other top New York restaurants), “Everyone in the food world knows how influential D’Artagnan has been in almost single-handedly bringing great game and foie gras to chefs in America.”

In addition to running D’Artagnan, developing new products and researching innovative and ecologically responsible methods of production, Ariane is the founding president of Les Nouvelles Mères Cuisinières, an international association of prestigious women chefs. She is active in Les Dames d’Escoffier, The American Institute of Wine & Food, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and the Conseil du Commerce Extérieur de la France. In 2005, Ariane received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Bon Appetit Magazine, an award previously bestowed on such culinary notables as Julia Child and James Beard. More recently she was honored to receive the prestigous medal of the French Legion d’honnuer, an order established by Napoléan in 1802.

She lives (and cooks) in New York City with her daughter Alix.

Who was D’Artagnan and what
does he have to do with great food?

His real name was Charles de Batz de Castelmore, born and raised in Gascony from 1611-1673. He was immortalized as the fourth musketeer in Alexandre Dumas’ novel "The Three Musketeers". As one of the members of the private army of kings Louis the Thirteenth and Louis the Fourteenth, his reputation for brave, chivalrous and sometimes reckless deeds lives in the hearts of all Gascons at home and abroad.

Just down the road, many, many, many years later, Ariane Daguin was born. She too has been described by some as brave, chivalrous, and sometimes reckless. (After all, the eggs she’s juggling in the photo above are raw!)