Video recipe platform with paid access

The Goal

People who post cooking videos get the same comments every time: where are the measurements written down? Ladle needed a site you could search, cook from, and sell access to.

We set out to build the whole product. That meant a public landing page and checkout, recipe pages that start with the video and then give ingredients and steps, and a login for saved recipes and a shopping list. People pay once. There is no subscription.

Tools Used

Next.js

Tailwind CSS

TypeScript

Vercel

AWS

Stripe

Phase 1 - Product definition

Worked out who sees what when signed out vs signed in, plus the creator landing and one-time access.

Phase 2 - UX and brand

Designed the pages around the ladle logo. Kept the layout simple so the recipe is what you notice.

Phase 3 - Recipe platform

Built search, categories, tags, and recipe pages that include the video, measurements, and a checklist.

Phase 4 - Accounts and commerce

Added login, saved recipes, a shopping list, a paywall on the method, and Stripe checkout.

Phase 5 - Launch

Put the Johnny Drinks landing page up and launched the site on Vercel.

Delivered Value

We built it in Next.js. Search works by category or ingredient. Recipe pages have the video, the written measurements, and a checklist. Signed-in members get saved recipes and a shopping list on phone or laptop. Guests can browse. The full method is locked until they pay.

We added Stripe checkout and a get-started page for Johnny Drinks. The site runs on Vercel, with media on AWS, so you can add creators and recipes later without a rebuild.

Recipe pages start with the video

Then come the written ingredients, the steps, and a checklist.

Members sign in, the method stays locked for guests, and Stripe handles the one-time purchase.

Search, tags, categories

Text search plus filters, so people can find recipes in the library.

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