ChefWise — AI Cooking App

ChefWise is a cross-platform AI-driven cooking assistant that generates personalized recipes, meal plans, and nutrition tracking. Built with Next.js, Firebase, and OpenAI API.

Overview

ChefWise helps users:

• Generate AI-powered recipes from ingredients or prompts
• Manage pantry inventory
• Create personalized meal plans with macro tracking
• Track daily nutrition and macros
• Get ingredient substitutions
• Generate shopping lists

Features

Feature	Description	Tech Stack
AI Recipe Generator	Generates recipes from user prompts or pantry inventory	OpenAI API + Next.js
Pantry Inventory	CRUD interface for ingredients with recipe suggestions	Firebase Firestore
Meal Planner	Builds daily/weekly meal schedules with macro targets	React + Chart.js
Macro Tracker	Calculates protein, carbs, fat, sugar, sodium per meal/day	Chart.js
Substitution Engine	Suggests ingredient replacements	GPT prompt chain
Shopping List	Auto-generate lists from meal plan	Firebase functions
Diet Filters	Mediterranean, Vegan, Keto, Low Fat/Sugar, NAFLD, etc.	Filtered AI prompts
User Profiles	Store diet prefs, allergies, saved recipes, macro goals	Firebase Auth + Firestore
Freemium Model	Free (2 recipes/day) → Premium (unlimited)	Stripe + Firebase

Architecture

[User] → [UI (Next.js + React)] → [Firebase Auth + Firestore]  
→ [OpenAI API via Cloud Functions] → [Recipe Response + Macro Calc]  
→ [Render Meal Plan + Charts + Lists]

Frontend: Next.js + React + Tailwind CSS
Backend: Firebase Auth | Firestore | Cloud Functions
AI Layer: OpenAI API (GPT-4) + custom prompt templates
Integrations: Stripe Payments | Chart.js
Deployment: Firebase Hosting / Vercel

Folder Structure

chefwise/
 ├─ src/
 │   ├─ components/          # React components
 │   │   ├─ RecipeCard.jsx
 │   │   ├─ MealPlanner.jsx
 │   │   ├─ PantryInventory.jsx
 │   │   ├─ MacroTracker.jsx
 │   │   └─ SubscriptionBanner.jsx
 │   ├─ pages/              # Next.js pages
 │   │   ├─ index.js        # Home page
 │   │   ├─ pantry.js       # Pantry management
 │   │   ├─ planner.js      # Meal planner
 │   │   ├─ tracker.js      # Macro tracker
 │   │   └─ profile.js      # User profile
 │   ├─ hooks/              # Custom React hooks
 │   │   └─ useOpenAI.js    # OpenAI API integration
 │   ├─ utils/              # Utility functions
 │   │   └─ SubscriptionGate.js
 │   ├─ firebase/           # Firebase config
 │   │   └─ firebaseConfig.js
 │   ├─ prompts/            # AI prompt templates
 │   │   └─ recipePrompts.js
 │   └─ styles/             # CSS styles
 │       └─ globals.css
 ├─ functions/              # Cloud Functions
 │   ├─ index.js            # OpenAI calls, billing checks
 │   └─ package.json
 ├─ public/                 # Static assets
 ├─ package.json
 ├─ firebase.json           # Firebase config
 ├─ firestore.rules         # Security rules
 ├─ firestore.indexes.json  # Database indexes
 └─ README.md

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• Firebase account
• OpenAI API key
• Stripe account (for payments)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/AreteDriver/Chefwise.git
cd Chefwise

2. Install dependencies:

npm install
cd functions && npm install && cd ..

3. Set up environment variables:

cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local and add your Firebase and OpenAI credentials.

4. Initialize Firebase:

firebase login
firebase init

5. Deploy Cloud Functions:

firebase deploy --only functions

6. Run the development server:

npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000

Environment Variables

Create a .env.local file with:

NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_API_KEY=your_api_key
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_AUTH_DOMAIN=your_project.firebaseapp.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_STORAGE_BUCKET=your_project.appspot.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_sender_id
NEXT_PUBLIC_FIREBASE_APP_ID=your_app_id

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key

NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=your_stripe_key
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=your_stripe_secret

Freemium Logic

• Free users: 2 recipe calls/day, 1 diet filter, 3-day meal plans
• Premium users: Unlimited recipes, all diet filters, 30-day meal plans, export features
• Gating via planTier field in Firestore and checkPlanTier() middleware in Cloud Functions

AI Prompt Examples

Recipe Generation

Generate a healthy [diet_type] recipe using: [ingredient_list].
Return JSON with title, ingredients, steps, prep_time, macros.

Substitution

Suggest top 3 ingredient substitutions for [ingredient] 
that maintain flavor, texture, and diet compatibility.

Meal Plan

Create a 7-day meal plan hitting [protein, fat, carbs] goals 
based on the user's saved preferences and pantry items.

Key Components

• firebaseConfig.js – Firebase initialization
• useOpenAI.js – Custom hook for AI API calls with rate limiting
• MealPlanner.jsx – Weekly meal plan UI with charts
• SubscriptionGate.js – Restricts features by plan tier
• RecipeCard.jsx – Displays recipe results
• PantryInventory.jsx – Manage ingredients
• MacroTracker.jsx – Daily nutrition tracking

Deployment

Firebase Hosting

npm run build
firebase deploy --only hosting

Vercel

vercel deploy

Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm start - Start production server
• npm run lint - Run ESLint

Future Modules

• Community recipe sharing
• AI voice assistant mode
• Offline mode (local cache)
• Photo recognition for ingredients
• Wearable integration
• Multi-language support

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

For support, email [email protected] or open an issue on GitHub.

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Built with ❤️ by the ChefWise team