At this point, even if you know absolutely nothing about sports or basketball in particular, you’ve more than likely heard of Steph Curry – or, as he’s often colloquially known, Chef Curry. However, many people don’t know that much about one of the most important people in his life – the other Chef Curry, his gorgeous wife Ayesha. Ayesha Curry is a wife to the Golden State Warriors’ superstar, and mom to daughters Riley and Ryan, but she’s also a total foodie who is slowly building her own empire with her various projects. While many wives of professional athletes end up getting overshadowed by their famous husbands, Ayesha has managed to carve out her own identity in the culinary sphere.

Though some in her position may be guarded and wary of any media attention, Ayesha Curry has always maintained her warm, friendly persona. While her honesty has gotten her in trouble once or twice, particularly when she shares her opinions on Twitter, that’s one of the reasons everyone loves her – she’s real. Plus, let’s be honest, she’s kind of #wifegoals. While she likely has her fair share of struggles, she manages to put forward a positive attitude and always make her family life look like fun, whether they’re cooking together at the Curry house or on the sidelines watching Steph hit 3 pointer after 3 pointer.

So, you know she’s Steph Curry’s right hand woman, but have you ever wondered what really makes Ayesha Curry tick? Well, here’s 15 things you might not have known about her.

15. She Was Born In Canada

Nowadays, Ayesha Curry goes where her man’s career takes the family – and since Steph is currently playing with the Golden State Warriors, the Curry family has made their home in sunny California. Growing up, they met while their families were both in North Carolina. However, Ayesha was born a little further north – in Canada, to be specific. She was born in Toronto, Ontario (so, if Steph ever got transferred to the Toronto Raptors, we bet she’d feel some childhood nostalgia), and spent several years there before her family picked up and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. While her southern upbringing definitely had an impact on her, she still has a certain fondness for the great white North. Thanks to her upbringing, Ayesha actually has dual citizenship – Canadian and American. Now, the question is, if she becomes an even bigger star than her husband someday, will the two countries fight it out over who gets to claim Chef Curry as their own?

14. She Moved To Los Angeles To Become An Actress

After graduating from high school, Ayesha Curry had her sights set on one spot, and it wasn’t Charlotte, North Carolina – it was the bright lights of Hollywood, California. At the time, Ayesha wanted to become an actress, and she ended up moving to the centre of the entertainment industry to try her hand at pursuing that dream. She snagged a few roles, primarily on Disney channel shows such as Hannah Montana and Good Luck Charlie, eventually getting a multi-episode arc on the short-lived show Whittaker Bay. However, right around that time, she met her now-husband Steph Curry, and quickly got swept up in their whirlwind romance. Right now, Ayesha has enough on her plate raising two baby girls and building her culinary empire. Perhaps one day she’ll return to the acting world, but for right now she’s more enthralled by the culinary world and all it has to offer her.

13. Her Name Has A Musical Inspiration

The name Ayesha is somewhat uncommon, so have you ever wondered where Ayesha’s parents got the inspiration behind their daughter’s name? Well, from a fairly famous song, it turns out. Ayesha’s father, at one point, worked as a music producer, and he’s always had a particular love for the legendary Stevie Wonder. In his iconic song “Isn’t She Lovely,” Wonder refers to a girl named Aisha – which is his own daughter’s name. The culinary cutie’s mother and father fell in love with the name and decided that that was what they were going to name their baby girl. I mean, if you’re going to get inspired by a celebrity, Stevie Wonder is a pretty good one to get inspired by. Now, if only we could get a peek into what inspired Ayesha and Steph when it came to naming their own daughters – we wonder if any of Steph’s famous basketball friends had a say in it?

12. She Is A Successful Lifestyle Blogger/YouTuber

Many wives or girlfriends of celebrities start what are essentially vanity projects, in which people are only interested because of the famous connection they have. Ayesha Curry’s blog is a little bit different. When she was just a young mom, Curry felt a little bit isolated because the majority of her family were on the east coast, while she was on the west coast supporting her husband. So, she decided to start a blog chronicling everything from her adventures in the kitchen to her thoughts on faith and fitness. She wasn’t looking to get famous or rich – she just wanted a little space to share her own feelings and thoughts with the world. Readers took note of her authenticity and began following her blog (and later YouTube channel, where she’d cook up delicious recipes in the Curry kitchen), and Little Lights of Mine became a huge success – and is still going strong.

11. She Once Had A ‘No Athletes’ Policy

Like many women out there, a young Ayesha Curry had a certain view of athletes – that they were trouble. Curry spilled a funny story in an interview with People magazine, saying that her parents actually found something a teenaged Ayesha had scribbled in high school that described her perfect boyfriend. Pretty typical teenaged girl behaviour, right? However, there was one notable inclusion – “no athletes because they’re arrogant.” That’s right – teenage Ayesha wanted absolutely nothing to do with the high school quarterback or the star of the basketball team. However, a young Steph Curry stepped up to the plate and convinced her to give athletes a chance, and she hasn’t looked back since. It just proves that you should never judge a book by its cover – or, well, its occupation – because people can definitely surprise you. Now, the question is, will Ayesha’s daughters have the same view, or will growing up with their superstar father and his legendary baller pals convince them that athletes can be just as sweet as regular guys.

10. She, Too, Binge-Watches Shows

Celebrities like Ayesha Curry are pretty busy, as they’re constantly traveling and fulfilling obligations. However, if you think that Ayesha Curry spends all her time in the kitchen or court-side and never indulges in a good old binge-watching session, you’d be very wrong. This year, Ayesha chatted with Cosmopolitan about her life, and what she loves to do, and she confessed that the two of them totally love getting all cozy on the couch and just watching episode after episode of a great show. Some of Ayesha’s past favourites include How To Get Away With Murder, Blackish, American Horror Story: Coven, and Fixer Upper. That’s right – Ayesha Curry loves Shonda Rhimes and Chip and Joanna Gaines just as much as the rest of us do. Although, I mean, who could blame her? If the Curry family ever leaves California and moves back to the south, we have a feeling Ayesha might be giving Chip and Joanna a call.

9. She Has Her Own Line Of Olive Oil

Ayesha Curry is known for her love of cooking, so it only makes sense that she’d be involved in a few food-related products – most notably, olive oil. Now, any good chef knows that olive oil is an absolute staple in the kitchen, and Ayesha Curry is no different. One of her first steps down the entrepreneurial path involved produced her own line of olive oil, which she made available to fans to buy from her website and at certain stores. And, the kind-hearted Ayesha is paying it forward through her venture, as 10% of proceeds from the olive oil sales go towards No Kid Hungry, which is a charitable organization near and dear to Ayesha’s heart. I mean, why would you buy regular olive oil when you could buy Ayesha Curry-approved olive oil that will amp up your meals and make you feel good because you’re giving something to a good cause as well?

8. She Recently Launched A Meal Delivery Start-up

It seems that there’s no sphere of the culinary world that Ayesha Curry doesn’t want to tackle. First, she started by sharing her recipes on her blog and YouTube channel, Little Lights of Mine. Then, her popularity meant she snagged a cookbook deal and released The Seasoned Life this year, followed by her Food Network show. She’s also worked with food technology like the Prep Pad. However, above all, this busy mom is crazy about helping other busy chefs get dinner on the table quickly – and what better way than by using a meal delivery program? Ayesha recently launched Gather, a meal delivery start-up service targeted at Bay Area residents. If you’re going to launch a start-up anywhere, the Bay Area is definitely the place to do it, so Curry might end up doing alright with this one – although, admittedly, the competition in the meal delivery arena is pretty stiff.

7. Her Maiden Name Is Alexander

At this point, most people know Ayesha Curry as, well, Ayesha Curry – and the name definitely has a nice ring to it. However, for years and years, until she got hitched when she was 22, she went by a different name – the lovely, alliterative Ayesha Alexander. In fact, if you go searching for credits from her acting career, you’ll find her listed in all the roles as Ayesha Alexander. There’s something charming about alliterative names. However, both Steph and Ayesha are fairly traditional people, so when they tied the knot, Ayesha definitely wanted to honor her husband by taking his name. Fans who have bought The Seasoned Life will notice, though, that she signs her note in the book Ayesha Alexander Curry, so who knows – maybe if she ever decides to get back into acting, she’ll keep things going under her maiden name to differentiate between her career in the entertainment industry and her career as Chef Curry in the food industry.

6. She’s Got Definite Kitchen Cred

There are a ton of celebrities out there who have released cookbooks, so it can be easy to assume that, well, they’re not actually doing the work – they’re just posing for the photographs while some talented chef comes up with the actual recipes. However, that’s certainly not true in Ayesha Curry’s case. For starters, she released a ton of her recipes on her blog and YouTube channel before she ever got her cookbook deal. Second, she’s also proven that she has what it takes to excel in the fast-paced environment of a restaurant kitchen. Several times this year, Curry has collaborated with renowned chef Michael Mina on a pop-up restaurant called International Smoke. You may have seen some of the guests who attended the International Smoke pop-up on Instagram – they include people like Drake and her hubby Steph Curry. And, according to Mina, Curry more than held her own in the kitchen.

5. She Recently Got Her Own Food Network Show

Many celebrities have released cookbooks over the past few years, including people like Gwyneth Paltrow, but Ayesha Curry stands apart from the crowd because she’s also snagged her own show, something that not many celebrities have done. Her show, Ayesha’s Homemade, recently debuted, and fans are loving the ability to get a glimpse into Ayesha’s kitchen, life and more. Given that she spent years filming herself in her kitchen for her YouTube channel, it makes sense that she knows exactly how to showcase a recipe on camera, how to speak to her audience with warmth and authenticity, and how to add in a little bit of humour and heart on the way. It’s tough to predict what will be a runaway success and what will be a one-season special on the Food Network, but we have a feeling that you may be seeing a whole lot more of Ayesha – which we have absolutely no problem with!

4. She’s Appeared In A Music Video

In addition to her handful of small television roles, Ayesha also has a music video credit to her name – and no, she doesn’t just make a guest appearance in one of her famous friend’s videos (although if we were Drake, we’d be calling up Ayesha for the next video). No, it turns out that Ayesha was actually in a music video at the tender age of 12, for Suga Prince’s song “Too Young For Love,” playing his love interest. While she may not be rocking her trademark bold lip or gorgeous hair, thanks to her distinct features, you can definitely tell that’s Ayesha in the video. Her father’s music industry connections may have had something to do with getting young Ayesha cast in the video, but either way, what a fun thing to experience! It’s definitely cooler than her hubby’s music video appearance in a Davidson College parody of Asher Roth’s “I Love College” (look it up, it’s worth your time – trust us).

3. She Met Steph At Church

So many professional basketball players end up meeting their partners once they hit fame, at some type of red carpet event, or at the hottest club in town. Steph and Ayesha Curry’s love story is a little bit different – and a lot more squeaky clean than most NBA stars’ courtships. The duo first met when they were both attending the same church youth group in North Carolina. They were friendly, but nothing really came of it until a few years later, when Ayesha was pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles and Steph was tearing it up with Davidson College en route to the NBA. So, if you were ever wondering where someone would meet a girl like Ayesha Curry, the answer is church – so you’d better keep your eyes open for your true love next time you’re sitting there on a Sunday rather than searching at the club.

2. Her Heritage Is Interestingly Diverse

There’s no doubting that Ayesha Curry is absolutely gorgeous – but have you ever wondered what exact blend of genes is responsible for those unique, insanely stunning features? Turns out it’s quite the mix. On her mother’s side, Ayesha has Jamaican and Chinese heritage, and on her father’s side, she has African-American and Polish heritage. Somehow, all those backgrounds worked together to create an impossible gorgeous woman – and we have a feeling that, since they have their mothers genes, her two daughters will definitely grow up to be absolute heartbreakers. Steph Curry is used to intimidating other men on the court with his crazy skills, but soon he’ll need to figure out how to intimidate all the boys who stop by the Curry house looking to take his daughters on dates! Although, just knowing that someone’s father is one of the basketball legends of this generation is probably fairly intimidating enough already, to be honest.

1. She Has A Tattoo (and Steph Has A Matching One)

Ayesha and Steph Curry are one of the most adorable couples out there right now, and the fact that they have literal matching tattoos just cements that fact. While you might think that Ayesha would get some type of food-related tattoo, or perhaps something related to her daughters, her tattoo is actually a really meaningful one (Steph spilled the beans on the meaning behind it in an interview the couple gave together). Both have a tattoo of two arrows, with a small space in the middle, and it’s supposed to symbolize that the past is the past, the future is the future, and sometimes you need to just focus on the right now – to stay in the moment. Before games, the couple will often make eye contact and touch their tattoos to remind one another to just enjoy the game and stay in the moment – I mean, how amazing is that?

Sources: Famebible, AyeshaCurry