Challenge
iOS Developer
CookBuddy is an iOS app that helps users reduce food waste by tracking pantry items, suggesting recipes based on available ingredients, and providing an AI-powered cooking assistant. It features a bold monochrome design, premium subscription gating, multi-provider authentication, and cloud sync across devices.
As the sole developer, I designed and built the entire iOS app from scratch — including the architecture, UI design system, backend integration with Supabase and Firebase, premium IAP flow, CloudKit sync, and an AI chat feature powered by a third-party LLM API.
Problem
“"I bought groceries but I have no idea what to cook with them, and half of them expire before I use them — I end up wasting food and money every week."”
User Needs
A smart kitchen companion that tracks available ingredients and suggests what to cook before they expire.
Constraints
Solo development across a complex multi-backend stack (Supabase, Firebase, CloudKit, StoreKit) with a premium monetization model and App Store review requirements.
Internal Factors
Balancing feature depth with architectural soundness as a solo developer, and managing real-time sync across multiple cloud services.
External Factors
Household food waste is a widespread problem driven by poor pantry visibility and lack of meal planning, resulting in avoidable grocery spending.
Solution
A full-featured iOS app with a pantry logger, cuisine-browsable recipe catalog powered by Supabase, AI-driven ingredient-match recommendations, a premium ChatGPT-style cooking assistant, and CloudKit-backed sync — all wrapped in a bold, high-contrast monochrome design system.
Deliverables
- 01Bold Monochrome Design System & Component Library
- 02Pantry Logger & Cabinet Management
- 03Paginated Recipe Catalog with Cuisine Browsing
- 04AI-Powered Ingredient Match & Meal Plan
- 05ChatGPT-Style Cooking Assistant (Premium)
- 06Multi-Provider Auth & Premium IAP Flow
- 07CloudKit Cross-Device Sync
Key Decisions
- 01Bold monochrome design system (#F0F0F0 / #0F0F0F) for a premium, editorial aesthetic
- 02Supabase for the paginated recipe catalog with keyset cursor pagination for performance
- 03Firebase for authentication and user profile management across providers
- 04CloudKit for seamless cross-device pantry sync without a custom sync server
- 05StoreKit 2 for native premium subscription management and entitlement restoration
Process
Product Definition & Feature Scoping
Design System & UI Architecture
Backend Setup (Supabase, Firebase, CloudKit)
Core Feature Development (Logger, Cabinet, Recommendations)
Premium IAP & Auth Integration
AI Chat Feature & Recipe Matching
App Store Submission & Compliance
Impact
Delivered a production-ready App Store submission with a complete premium subscription flow, multi-provider auth (Apple, Google, Email), real-time CloudKit sync, and a paginated recipe catalog featuring thousands of recipes across multiple cuisines.
Team
- GustavoiOS Developer (Solo)