Building BCBCBath: Automating a Cookbook Club Website
In 2022, Sahil and I started BCBCBath, a cookbook club in Bangalore, as a way to connect with fellow food lovers and explore diverse cuisines. Each month, members vote on a cookbook, cook a dish from it at home, and gather for a themed potluck. Here’s how I automated our website to make managing the club easier.
The Challenge
As our club grew, we needed a system that could:
- Track monthly potlucks and attendance
- Display cookbook information
- Archive our culinary journey
- Make updates easy for non-technical members
The Solution
I built an automated system using PHP that connects Google Sheets (where members log their dishes) with a dynamic website. Here’s how it works:
1. Data Management
Members use a Google Spreadsheet where:
- Each tab represents a different potluck
- Standard columns track cookbook details, date, and attendance
- Members log their chosen recipes and dietary information
- The familiar interface means no learning curve
2. Data Processing Pipeline
The PHP application:
- Connects to Google Sheets API
- Fetches data from multiple sheets
- Processes and validates the information
- Stores everything in a structured JSON format
- Handles error cases gracefully
3. Cookbook Enhancement
To make the experience richer, the system:
- Searches multiple sources for cookbook covers
- Generates purchase links when available
- Caches images locally for performance
- Falls back to placeholders when needed
4. Dynamic Website
The frontend:
- Displays potlucks in a responsive grid
- Shows detailed information for each event
- Uses modern CSS for clean layouts
- Works well on mobile devices
Technical Architecture
- Data Layer
- Google Sheets as the primary database
- JSON for processed data storage
- Local image cache for performance
- Processing Layer
- Sheet data fetching and parsing
- Book cover image retrieval
- Data validation and cleaning
- Error handling and logging
- Presentation Layer
- Dynamic routing system
- Templating for HTML generation
- Responsive design
- Progressive enhancement
Conclusion
By automating BCBCBath’s website, I’ve created a system that makes managing our cookbook club easier while preserving our culinary journey. The combination of familiar tools with automated processing lets us focus on what matters most: sharing great food and building community.