Nothing makes Ariane Daguin more livid than PETA’s campaign against foie gras, a product that helps her fancy food company, D’Artagnan, gross $50 million a year. So Daguin is celebrating a triumph in Maryland where foie gras champions convinced legislators to drop legislation seeking to ban it. “Once they realized their bill would affect most chicken farms too, they decided to withdraw it,” she says.  “Not that Maryland is full of restaurants serving foie gras.”

        Just for the record books: Ariane reminds me that it was 32 years ago that we first saw ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen instantly before our eyes.  A triumvirate of musketeers from Gascony in Southwest France – Andre Daguin, Roger Duffour, Maurice Coscuella – were showing off at a dinner for the Chaine des Rôtissiers.  Daguin whisked the prune and armegnac ice cream hidden by the mysterious clouds of liquid nitrogen hitting the air. Suddenly Coscuella’s apron came undone. He put down the nitrogen tank to scoop his apron off the floor. Daguin emerged from the clouds – staring down at a float of mush. There were a few hissed Merde alors. Then, apron restored, Coscuella re-aimed his weapon.

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