Ayesha Curry Talks Food, Family And What's Next For Her

As Golden State Warrior basketball superstar Stephen Curry did the robot with a group of friends and family in a buzzing Williams-Sonoma in New York City, his wife, Ayesha, was across the room, busy celebrating the launch of her first cookbook, A Seasoned Life. Unlike the usual crowd hovered outside the locker room, the group of excited fans who had lined up around the block were there for the budding chef and mother of two—her own mom, who serves as a source of inspiration for many of the recipes in the book, by her side.

With a Food Network show in the works called Ayesha's Homemade, which premieres on October 22; the new book; and two beautiful daughters to keep her on her toes, it's clear she is on her way to the top. But for Curry, who has accomplished all this by the age of only 27 and still makes it a point to be courtside at her husband's games, this success was a long time coming.

Photo: Courtesy of Little, Brown and Company

Curry was born in Toronto to a Jamaican mother and Polish American father (and later moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, at the age of 14) and began dreaming of a cooking career early on. "The book is something I've always wanted to do, and I'm lucky enough to have parents who supported my cooking endeavors along the way," she says. "They always let me cook for them at home, and I learned a lot from my mom's recipes."

Drawing inspiration from her childhood as well as dishes she's developed cooking for her own family, Ayesha's book is a melting pot of flavors—and also a major labor of love. "This book was really like birthing a child! It was a good nine months of hard work to make it happen."

"I tested everything at home through trial and error, and then I had two awesome recipe testers who came in at the end to make sure it all made sense. When it was time to shoot, I wanted everything to be accessible and look homemade. I always find that when I get a cookbook, the dishes look so perfect, but when you go to make it, it never looks the way it does in the pictures."

Those dishes include Sunday-worthy breakfast like PB&J cereal French toast and brown sugar bacon, unique dinners like Jamaican curry chicken and fried dumplings, and a few recipes dedicated to the little ones in the kitchen.

After all, for Ayesha, her cooking is rooted in family. Of the more than 100 recipes featured in the book, Ayesha points to her mom's brown sugar chicken as her favorite dish—and the one she's always craving. "The hardest part was translating those family recipes into steps anyone could make at home.  I'm used to adding a pinch of this and a bit of that."

RELATED   What I Learned Writing a Cookbook "

Even husband Steph, whom Ayesha has known from their North Carolina church since they were teenagers, finds time to step into the kitchen—a new development since the release of her book.

"I used to say no when people asked if my husband likes to cook, but he's cooked for me three times now out of the book: his five-ingredient pasta, the pan steak and the bananas Foster. He told me has 'kitchen confidence' now. So, I guess that's saying something!"

These family ties will also play a large part in her new docu-style series for Food Network.

"For me, recipes should create memories for everyone involved." she says. "The saying 'It takes a village' often applies. I try to remember to accept help and to do things together."

Ayesha's love for food and cooking is palpable. Still, when given the truest ultimatum—If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?—she unabashedly replies, "Can I say wine?"