Our project was inspired by a personal experience when one of our teammates FaceTimed her grandmother to learn how to cook a favorite dish, "twice-cooked pork." However, during the call, her grandmother mentioned many details, and it was challenging to remember everything. We realized the importance of preserving family recipes and the secret sauces passed down through generations.
During the hackathon, we were intrigued by one of our sponsor's challenges, which focused on "connecting people through food." This sparked the idea for our project.
Throughout the project, we learned how to build a Progressive Web App (PWA) using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We also experimented with integrating AI technologies, such as the Whisper speech-to-text API from OpenAI and an LLM API from Fetch.ai, although we were unable to obtain API keys during the hackathon. Additionally, we explored the potential use of a database management system like Firebase for future development.
We created both low-fidelity PWA and high-fidelity wireframes to visualize our app's concept and design. Furthermore, we honed our ideation, storytelling, and pitching skills.
Our biggest challenge was finding a balance between time constraints and our ambitious project goals. We wanted to achieve a lot within the hackathon timeframe, but prioritizing tasks and managing our time effectively proved to be difficult.
Despite the challenges, we hope our efforts during the hackathon serve as a starting point for something bigger. We envision our project as a "hole in the wall" that allows people to glimpse the potential behind the idea. While our project is still in its early stages, we aim to continue refining and perfecting it in the future.
Our mission is to preserve family recipes, foster connections through food, and celebrate the cultural heritage woven into each dish.