Inspiration
Every day, millions of Latin American families face the same question: what do we cook today? The answer is usually repetition, improvisation, or skipping home cooking altogether. Existing meal planners are generic, English-first, and disconnected from how Latin American families actually shop and cook.
I built CaseroAI because I live this problem every day — as a shift worker and father of two kids who resist new foods.
What it does
CaseroAI generates personalized 7-day meal plans using a constraint-satisfaction algorithm that considers:
- Family size and children's food acceptance scores
- Cooking time available per day (weekdays vs weekends)
- Ingredient and category variety (no pasta twice in a row)
- User preferences and foods to avoid
- Gradual introduction of new dishes for picky eaters
Claude AI acts as a conversational chef — explaining the plan, giving cooking tips in natural language, and helping families introduce new dishes gradually.
The app also generates a consolidated shopping list and suggests optimal times to visit neighborhood stores based on peak hours.
How I built it
- React + Vite for the frontend
- Firebase Firestore for real-time data sync across devices
- Anthropic Claude API as the AI conversational layer
- Custom constraint-based algorithm for meal planning logic (not just a chatbot wrapper)
- Vercel for deployment
Challenges
- Designing a scoring algorithm that balances variety, kid-friendliness, and cooking time simultaneously
- Keeping Claude API costs minimal while maximizing the value of each call
- Making the app genuinely useful for Latin American cuisine context, not just translating an existing concept
What I learned
That domain expertise matters more than coding skills. Understanding the real problem — how families actually plan and cook — was more valuable than any technical decision.
What's next
- Expanded recipe database with Argentine and Latin American dishes
- Anticipatory cooking tips (e.g., "make pizza dough tonight for tomorrow's dinner")
- Seasonal and cultural calendar awareness (no locro in summer)
- Shopping route optimization based on neighborhood store locations
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