Creating a Family Heirloom to be Proud of
Pauline’s Table is a personal project to bring my grandmother’s recipes into a physical cookbook. I wanted to honor her cooking, preserve family traditions, and create a keepsake that my family could enjoy for generations.
Gathering Memories
The project started by going through my grandmother’s collection of handwritten recipes, magazine clippings, and old notes. I worked with family members to digitize and organize them, and we shared stories and memories connected to each dish. This process made the cookbook about more than just food—it became a way to capture family history and personal stories alongside the recipes.
Bringing the Cookbook to Life
After gathering the recipes, I focused on turning them into something tangible and beautiful. Using tools like WordPress, InDesign, and Photoshop, I designed layouts that were easy to read, visually consistent, and reflective of my grandmother’s personality.
The result is a cookbook that feels personal and inviting, blending the warmth of family memories with practical, easy-to-follow recipes. It’s a keepsake that celebrates her legacy and allows her cooking—and her stories—to live on.
Research
System Design
Design Language
Information Architecture
High-Fidelity Visual Design
Pauline’s Table Cookbook
Front and back covers showcase food photography, which include mementos and elements that originally belonged to my Grandma.
Recipe Page
Recipe pages include handwritten recipes, photos, notes on where the original came from, and memories from family members.
Section Title
Each section title page includes recipe photos with page reference numbers.
InDesign “DLS”
Besides color swatches, this is as much of a DLS as I could manage in InDesign. Despite the appearance of keeping a design system organized, InDesign did not play nice even within the paradigms it created.
Wheat Bread photo shoot
I used matte, water resistant photo backgrounds, along with many of my Grandma’s kitchen items to personalize the photos.
Pauline’s Table Cookbook
Wordpress site for gathering feedback
Family voted on whether or not to include recipes in the cookbook, and left comments on recipes, which were included as notes in the cookbook
Recipe Management Airtable
Airtable provided the perfect place to organize and manage recipes, while sharing the database with family who offered to help type in recipes.
Recipe Page
