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The article presents profile of chef Arnaud Nicolas whose specialty is involved in reviving French charcuterie. It mentions that Nicolas has won the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) award and opened a restaurant in Paris, France; and has worked for chef Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris in Monaco. It also mentions that Nicolas makes charcuterie by using peas, string beans, zucchini, spinach, Swiss chard, artichokes, and pine nuts and a meatless pâté en croûte.

The article offers information on vegetable Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris, Cicla group) and its uses in French cookery. It describes several ways of cooking Swiss chard such as with fruit and nuts in pastry, with béchamel sauce, or puréed into a velouté. A step-by-step instruction on how to prepare the chard using the Mediterranean approach is provided. It also discusses the seasonality of other salad vegetables such as leek, carrot, and celery.

The author focuses on fruits and vegetables during autumn in Normandy, France. She includes cauliflower in the same vegetable category as Brussels sprouts, turnips, and rutabagas. She believes that Swiss chard is the graceful lady of autumn because the white stem becomes translucent once sautéed with herbs and shallots. Common to autumn in Normandy is boudin noir, or blood sausage, which is prepared with sautéed apples cooked long enough to caramelize.