No, you do not need a Gravatar account to create a profile at LuvMyRecipe OR to have an image for your profile here. LuvMyRecipe.com stores the images uploaded to our website and applies them to your profile as needed throughout the website without using the Gravatar service.
If you DO have an account at Gravatar and you manage your avatar display this way or across several websites then your Gravatar service should work as expected here at LuvMyRecipe.com.
What is Gravatar?
Gravatar is a third party avatar service. Gravatars are globally unique and can be used across different websites that support the service.
A Gravatar is a Globally Recognized Avatar. You upload an image to the service and create your public profile only once there, and then when you participate in any Gravatar-enabled site, your Gravatar image and public profile will automatically follow you there.
The service is free to use and works off your email address. Essentially, if you have created an account at Gravatar with an email address, then when you create an account at a website that integrates the Gravatar service and you use that same email address, your Gravatar image will show on that website for your comments, posts, and profile image.
Most WordPress websites have Gravatar integrated into them but the service is not needed to create or maintain an account on any particular website.