Celebrity chef Ayesha Curry is on top of her game
Food Network host puts on a full- court press to make time for her family
Her husband reigns supreme as one of the NBA’s best shooters of all time, having been named the league MVP in 2015 and 2016. But Ayesha Curry, 28, has made some career slam dunks of her own.
The wife of Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry juggles writing cookbooks, running a national mealkit delivery service, starring in her Food Network series, Ayesha’s Home Kitchen, and cheering on her husband while being mom to the couple’s two young daughters, Riley, 5, and Ryan, 2. And she’s doing it all while readying her family for a major milestone: kindergarten.
“Everyone tells you time flies by so fast. But until your baby is the one getting ready for that school bus, you don’t realize how quickly it feels like you’ve gone from getting ready to bring them home from the hospital to sending them off to elementary school,” Curry says, looking ahead to Riley’s first day of kindergarten this fall.
Already an experienced preschooler, Riley knows what it’s like to be away from home for a few hours during the day while she’s interacting with teachers and peers. However, Curry says it’s natural to hope the transition to “big- girl
school” won’t be too much of a shock to her daughter’s system. She also is apprehensive about how she will cope with the change to the family’s routine.
“I am so nervous for this next chapter of our lives,” she says. “She’ll probably do absolutely great, but I’m sure I’ll bawl my eyes out on her first day of kindergarten.”
And to keep all her plates spinning while trying to help Riley — and the whole family — prepare for elementary school, Curry relies on one secret ingredient: “I’ve come to the conclusion that there is no ‘ right’ way to do any of this,” she says.
She’s written a best- selling cookbook, The Seasoned Life: Food, Family, Faith
and the Joy of Eating Well, but Curry says she has yet to find the words for a handbook on how busy moms can strike a balance in their daily lives. “Maybe one day I’ll write that book,” she jokes.
Until then, Curry relies on a pen to keep her schedule straight. “The way I find any balance and stay on track is massive planning,” she says. “I write everything out so I can see what’s filling not only my days, but the schedules of my family, too.”
That preparation helps Curry keep a common interruption at arm’s length. “I still struggle with not always answering or responding to a pinging or chirping phone,” she acknowledges. “I guess I’m called a Millennial mom and as such, technology and being plugged in is a way of life. So I struggle with ignoring my phone. It’s so hard, because it’s right there in a pocket.”
Planning out her days allows Curry to disconnect and enjoy quality time with her family.
“I know it really is the hardest thing to remove yourself from the world of constant connection.
“But when we do stop working and when the phone does stop, it feels great to really be in the moment with the girls,” she says.
ESTABLISHING ROUTINES
Curry doesn’t reserve preparation for just her schedule. She has been busy gearing up for Riley’s first day of school for a couple of years.
“We’ve slowly been prepping ourselves,” she says. “In preschool, everything is so regimented and her school has a lot of structure. She’s used to that aspect of academic life.”
But preschool doesn’t necessarily include toting a lunch to school and making healthful choices in the cafeteria. To get Riley ready for that phase of her life, Curry tries both to prepare food in advance. “I’ll have her help me pack her lunch.
“That’s become a routine we share together and creates the chance for us to discuss how I include things like a napkin, a piece of fruit ... to give her a sense of how to implement thinking ahead in her own life.”
The Curry parents didn’t always harness the power of routines.
“I learned the hard way,” she recalls. “The first three years of Riley’s life, we had no routines. She went to all Steph’s games, and our schedule — if you could call it that — was off. She’d go to bed late and then sleep late. It wasn’t good.”
Ryan’s arrival in 2015 meant a more structured path for Riley — and her parents. “That’s when I put my foot down,” Curry says.
Now, whether they’re on the road or hanging out in their San Francisco Bayarea home, the family sticks to a pattern.
That includes bedtime. “I think that as much as they want to fight back on bedtimes, kids thrive on routine and regimen. And in general, parenting Ryan is much easier because of those routines.”
COOKING IS A WAY OF LIFE
Curry has always felt at home in the kitchen. Time spent in her childhood kitchen with her mom, who is of Jamaican and Chinese descent ( her father is Polish and African- American) and her grandmother laid the groundwork for Curry’s passion for experimenting with foods and flavors of various cultures. And whether they’re traditional favorites or twists on recipes her mom and grandma made, fast, fuss- free, healthful meals are staples in Curry’s kitchen.
To steer clear of spontaneous drivethrough meals, Curry packs the week’s snacks and preps meals every Sunday evening.
“I pack five containers of snacks for the girls and my husband,” she says. “Then I’ll roast chicken and quinoa in a rice cooker and ( put) some veggies on a tray in the oven to roast. In under an hour, I’ll have two to three meals and the week’s snacks all ready and packed.”
Cooking with her daughters has made the girls “more willing to expand their palates,” she says.
No matter how much she plans and prepares, Curry knows having a child in elementary school is sure to throw a few curveballs into the family’s schedule now and again. The cool and collected mom has a plan for that, too.
“I’ve already started reminding myself not to sweat the small stuff,” she says.
Instead, Curry is focused on the big picture.
“As long as kids are healthy, fed and getting to school safely, moms need to acknowledge they’re doing something right.”