Introducing Recipe Route
There are a few reasons you might be reading this message. Maybe you know me, and I’ve pulled you into yet another one of my projects. Perhaps I shamelessly recruited you from another app I maintain, like TrailHUB.org. If this is irrelevant to you, please forgive me and feel free to unsubscribe.
My intention with this post is to introduce you to a new idea I’m working on: Recipe Route.
If we haven’t met, my name is Nicholas Gunner. I’m a solopreneur and the founder of Orbitist, where I develop mapping software for agriculture. I’m also a NASA Acres PhD student at Cornell, where I use satellites and AI to help farmers make better decisions. Beyond that, my wife, my sons, and I run a small farm called Gunner Gardens.
What is Recipe Route?
Recipe Route connects communities with their farms. The app generates recipes based on what you have at home, what’s coming out of the garden, or what’s available at nearby farms. If you’re a farmer, Recipe Route provides a place to share what you have for sale.
My hypothesis is simple: by creating recipes based on available ingredients, we can flip the usual patterns of supply and demand—drumming up demand based on supply. This could help farms grow and graze in ways that are geographically appropriate, aligned with their skills, and supported by their infrastructure.
For new farmers, I’m developing tools within Recipe Route to guide and coach you as you grow your farm. For households, the goal is to help you create healthy, easy, and beautiful meals from local ingredients.
In the end, I want Recipe Route to move local food from farm to table in the most economical, ecological, and enjoyable way possible.
How you can help?
I need perspectives, connections, advocates, and critics. I need help evaluating how to best implement this idea. More than anything, I need partners like you—to use the app, share your thoughts, and help shape the future of Recipe Route.
Where did the idea for Recipe Route come from? Last summer, amidst our first farm growing season, I found myself improvising in the kitchen. I realized I could use ChatGPT to create recipes from whatever ingredients I had on hand. This experience got me thinking: we’re approaching food the wrong way. Instead of planning meals and shopping for ingredients, why not use what we already have and what’s available locally?
Current Problems
Today, meal planning is often stressful, and our industrial food system, while convenient, prioritizes profitability over nutrition, flavor, and sustainability. It relies heavily on fossil fuels, degrades soils, and leads to excessive waste. This is the root of many many societal problems and is a serious national security vulnerability.
Current Solutions
Farmers markets are fun but inconvenient, and CSAs, while beneficial, can overwhelm customers with too much of the same produce and rigid pick-up schedules. Both models have their limitations, making it hard to integrate local, fresh ingredients into everyday cooking.
Solution
Recipe Route bridges this gap by creating a virtual marketplace that connects users with local ingredients in real-time. With our app, users simply enter any special instructions (dietary restrictions, ingredients on hand, etc.), and Recipe Route generates personalized recipes using locally available produce.
Economic Impact
By matching local supply with demand, Recipe Route empowers small farmers and even potential “micro-farmers” to thrive, stimulating rural economies and making farming accessible to more people. I believe there are many other businesses that will result from this smart marketplace such as local food delivery services, farm-to-table restaurants, and neighborhood dinner clubs.
Cultural & Environmental Impact
Recipe Route fosters hyper-local, healthy food cultures, encouraging culinary innovation and reducing reliance on plastic packaging. It also promotes environmental sustainability by integrating human activity with the landscape in a harmonious way.
Fun & Community
Cooking should be fun! Recipe Route simplifies the process, making it easier to enjoy cooking, eat better, and strengthen community bonds.
Monetization & Future Vision
We’re exploring various monetization strategies, including a custom advertising network, premium AI farm coaching, CRM tools that facilitate meal clubs/delivery services, an online farm supply store, and even our own vertically integrated farm. The future is bright, and with emerging technologies, we’re excited to transform how food is sourced and enjoyed.
Get started!
Download Recipe Route and start cooking! Share your feedback with us, and let local farmers know about this game-changing marketplace. And if you’ve ever wanted to farm, now’s your chance to get started!
~ Nick Gunner
Please consider giving it a try!
~Nick