Intro
Stela’s Food Stories is a cooking blog owned by a talented chef and nutritionist. With a deep passion for creating recipes that prioritize both taste and nutritional value, the chef envisioned a platform where readers could explore the world of cooking with simplicity and meticulousness. The blog not only aims to educate and inspire, but also provides valuable insights into nutrition, food, recipes, kitchen supplies, and related topics.
Brief
The platform needed to showcase a captivating “Pick of the Week” recipe on the homepage, enable users to search for recipes based on specific categories, seamlessly integrate with a newsletter sign-up service, and incorporate a dedicated section where the chef could share her engaging food-related stories and insights.
Highlights
Homepage and Recipe Search
Captivating users right from the start, the homepage prominently features a “Pick of the Week” section that showcases a recipe users are bound to love. Just below, an efficient recipe search functionality enables users to explore the extensive recipe archives, categorized by meal types such as breakfast, mains, salads, soups & stews, snacks, and desserts.
Newsletter Integration
Seamless integration with Mailchimp provides a hassle-free newsletter sign-up experience. Regular newsletters, containing seasonal stories and additional recipes, are delivered to subscribers.
Stories and Insights
A dedicated section allows the chef to share facts, nutrition insights, and interesting anecdotes related to food, recipes, and kitchen supplies.
Recipe Archive and Filters
Using an Ajax search bar, users can quickly find recipes by entering keywords, with the results displayed in an easily navigable archive format.
Dietary labels are prominently highlighted, ensuring users can quickly identify recipes that align with their specific dietary restrictions.
Recipe Details and Customization
A fun difficulty sign, represented by chef hats, indicates the level of culinary expertise required for the recipe.
Below, users are provided with essential details, including precise prep time, cook time, and total time required to prepare each recipe.
Users can embark on a culinary journey where recipes seamlessly adapt to their desired portion sizes with just a few clicks. The ingredient list is conveniently displayed in the sidebar for easy reference during the cooking process.
Step-by-Step Cooking Experience
To avoid interruptions during the cooking process, we implemented a device display prevention of screen dimming.
A post-completion message wishes readers a delightful dining experience, while information on food storage ensures users know how to preserve their culinary creations.
Sharing and Printing Options
Convenient sharing and printing functionality enable users to easily share recipes or create physical cookbooks.
Contact Form
A user-friendly contact form is integrated into a contact pop-up, allowing visitors to easily get in touch with Stela directly.
Backend
Through the integration of custom fields, the process of adding and managing recipes has been made easier and more intuitive for Stela to input all the necessary information for each recipe. Custom fields allow her to specify and categorize key details such as ingredients, measurements, cooking instructions, and nutritional information, ensuring that all relevant information is accurately captured.
Additionally, a custom post type has been implemented to organize and categorize the various food-related stories and insights shared on the platform. This custom post type enables Stela to create and publish engaging and informative content beyond recipes, covering a wide range of topics related to food, nutrition, cooking techniques, and kitchen supplies. By categorizing these posts, visitors to the website can easily browse and access the content that interests them most, creating a seamless and enjoyable browsing experience.
The integration of custom fields and custom post types not only simplifies the process of content creation and management for Stela but also enhances the overall organization and accessibility of the website.
Outcome
Enriched Culinary Exploration and Heightened User Engagement
The web project for Stela’s Food Stories was successful, fulfilling the goal of providing readers with a seamless and engaging culinary journey.
The platform enables easy navigation, recipe search based on preferences, and exploration of the chef’s captivating stories and nutrition insights.
The integration of custom fields and a user-friendly backend made it effortless for the chef to add and manage her recipes.
With its user-centric approach and unwavering commitment to simplicity and taste, the platform continues to captivate and inspire food enthusiasts on their culinary adventures.
