Development Log
Entry 01 — March 2026
Prototype: RUE - AI Sous Chef

The Idea

RUE was inspired by a philosophy at the heart of the Disney Pixar film Ratatouille: “anyone can cook.”

In the film, Remy - a talented rat with a gift for cooking - quietly guides the aspiring chef Linguini step-by-step, acting as his hands, reacting to what’s happening in the kitchen.

Watching that dynamic made me wonder: what if recipes worked the same way? Instead of static instructions on a page, what if cooking guidance could respond to what’s actually happening in the kitchen?

RUE is an experiment exploring whether conversational AI can play the role of Remy — offering real-time cooking guidance like a true sous chef.

Phase 1: Lightweight Beta

The first version of RUE is a locally hosted web interface connected to OpenAI, to test the core interaction loop.

Phase 1 encompasses early prompt frameworks with AI analyzing dishes and their ingredients and guiding users through sequential steps. This version of RUE will not allow interruptions like “What’s next?” or “How long should this cook?”. The environment will allow users to practice with RUE and note where those natural inputs would need to be added for the conversational guidance component.

I deployed the prototype using Vercel to create a lightweight beta environment for testing basic interactions with RUE and the product user.

RUE BETA 1

Today, RUE is a lightweight beta entry point - a web application with photo upload and prompting. The focus at this stage is understanding how users experience and interact with RUE in real cooking scenarios.

I’m closely observing user behavior around timing, voice interruptions, and camera interaction to shape a UX that feels intuitive, supportive, and engaging.

What I'm Testing

Some early questions I'm exploring:

  • How much structure should RUE maintain during a recipe?

  • When should RUE provide proactive instructions vs waiting for prompts?

  • How conversational should cooking guidance feel compared to following a static recipe?

These questions will shape how the interaction model evolves in future versions.

Development Stack (Current)

  • OpenAI — conversational cooking guidance

  • Web interface — beta testing environment

  • Vercel — deployment

  • GitHub — version control

  • VS Code — backend configurations