What it does
CREME is a sophisticated cooking application designed to help users discover and create high-quality meals. It acts as a bridge between professional chefs and home cooks, offering a library of curated recipes. Its standout feature is an AI assistant named Sous, which enables users to plan entire meals, customize recipes, and get instant answers to cooking questions in a conversational format. The app also includes integrated grocery lists, interactive cooking guides, and community features.
Where it shines
CREME excels in making complex cooking accessible and personalized. The conversational meal planning (02:14) is a prime example. Instead of navigating confusing filters, a user can simply type "Simple pasta" and get intelligent suggestions. The app's power becomes even clearer when the user asks to "make it spicy" (03:12), and the AI instantly provides remixed recipe options. Another highlight is the hybrid cooking interface (03:41), which lets users toggle between a scannable text checklist and detailed video clips for each step, accommodating various learning styles.
UX highlights
- Conversational AI: The AI assistant, Sous, provides a natural way to build meal plans, find recipes, and even get substitutes for ingredients.
- Interactive Ingredients: Tapping an ingredient (07:51) opens a dedicated page with substitutes, a grocery list button, and related recipes, turning it into a discovery tool.
- Flexible Cooking Modes: The ability to switch between a step-by-step text guide and a full video tutorial (01:54) gives users control over their cooking experience.
- Contextual Community Q&A: Users can ask questions directly on a recipe page (04:13), creating a valuable, context-specific knowledge base.
- Integrated Grocery Management: The app allows users to add ingredients from multiple recipes to a single list and then filter that list by recipe (12:50), simplifying shopping.
- Streamlined Onboarding: The initial setup is fast, focusing on essential preferences like measurement units (01:06) to immediately tailor the experience.
Monetization & growth
Monetization is handled through a premium subscription called "EXTRA CREME." The app uses a soft paywall approach, allowing users to explore content before asking them to subscribe. The paywall is presented when the user attempts to access premium features, such as starting a free trial from their profile page (13:43). The paywall screen itself is a carousel highlighting key benefits like AI access and chef support, offering both annual (with a discount) and monthly plans. A 7-day free trial is offered to lower the barrier to conversion.
Who it’s for
CREME is for ambitious home cooks who are passionate about food and want to elevate their skills. It's not for someone looking for a 5-minute meal. The focus on chef-created recipes, advanced techniques like "Clarified Butter" (07:38), and detailed guides suggests a target audience that views cooking as a serious hobby. The AI planning tools also appeal to organized users who want to create cohesive, multi-course meals without the hassle of manual planning.
Notes & opportunities
The app is incredibly feature-rich, which could be overwhelming for new users. While the AI is powerful, its full capabilities aren't immediately obvious from the main feed. A guided tour or a more prominent entry point to the AI planner could improve discovery. Additionally, the social features, like following chefs (08:52) and interacting with comments (04:53), are strong but feel secondary to the core cooking and planning flows. Integrating these social elements more deeply into the recipe discovery experience could further boost community engagement.