Built as a project for the Software Development 3 course at Stuttgart Media University.
Description
GooseChef is a comprehensive recipe platform that transforms how users create, share, and discover culinary experiences. The platform combines social networking features with recipe management, allowing food enthusiasts to build their own digital cookbook while discovering inspiration from a vibrant community of fellow chefs.
Built with modern web technologies, GooseChef offers a seamless user experience with real-time interactions, beautiful animations, and an intuitive interface that makes recipe creation and sharing effortless. The platform supports rich media content, detailed ingredient management, and personalized recipe collections.
Reflection
Working on GooseChef marked a significant milestone in my development journey—my first experience contributing to a large-scale production application with a full team using proper Git workflows and collaborative development practices. This project dramatically accelerated my growth as a developer.
While I had some prior Next.js experience, GooseChef pushed me to explore advanced features and architectural patterns I hadn't encountered before. The diverse tech stack, particularly the backend technologies like tRPC and Prisma, opened up entirely new domains of knowledge. I gained deep understanding of each tool's purpose, strengths, and trade-offs through hands-on implementation.
Throughout the development process, I contributed across the entire application stack—from implementing new features from scratch to debugging complex issues. Working alongside my team taught me invaluable lessons about collaborative development, task coordination, and agile methodologies that mirror professional Scrum practices.
The most challenging aspect was navigating the experimental Auth.js beta we chose for authentication. The limited documentation and evolving API required creative problem-solving and frequent workarounds. However, these challenges ultimately strengthened my debugging skills and adaptability when working with cutting-edge technologies.
GooseChef became a catalyst for my career growth, providing a foundation of practical experience that I've successfully applied to subsequent projects. The confidence gained from shipping a real-world application has been transformative for my development approach.