You can always count on Ayesha Curry to offer something new and fresh in the kitchen! The entrepreneur and lauded chef is partnering with Home Chef, the leading meal solutions company available online and in stores nationwide, to inspire food lovers everywhere. This four-week partnership will feature exclusive recipes from Ayesha’s kitchen and her popular cookbooks, bringing bold flavors and fresh ingredients to the forefront.
“Partnering with Home Chef to bring some of my favorite recipes into people’s homes has been such an amazing experience,” said Ayesha Curry. “As someone who’s always on the go—whether traveling for work or having fun with my family—I know how much of a game-changer it is to have ingredients delivered to your home to make fresh meals easily. I love that I can bring a little bit of my kitchen straight to your table with Home Chef in a way that’s convenient and packed with flavor.”
Customers can order the Ayesha Curry collection until Friday, March 14. Recipes for this collaboration will change weekly and come in various formats to suit all food enthusiasts — including the classic Meal Kit, Express Plus, and Culinary Collection.
Some highlights from the menu include:
● Jerk-style chicken and Rice Bowl with mango salsa
● Sweet Sambal Yellowtail with coconut-lime rice
● Mezze-Style Flatbread with feta and olives
● Hot Honey Fried Chicken Wrap with pickles and slaw
● Pan-seared filet Mignon with brown butter-apple-sweet potato mash
“Ayesha’s cooking is all about bold, vibrant flavors, and we knew she would be a perfect partner to create unforgettable meals for Home Chef customers,” said Raquel Brown, director of brand marketing for Home Chef. “This collaboration offers home cooks fresh, exciting ways to explore new cuisines while making mealtime effortless and enjoyable.”
Check out our conversation with Curry below, discussing food, recipes, and family.
ESSENCE: What does this Home Chef partnership mean to you?
Ayesha Curry: It’s so exciting for me. We partnered over a year ago, and now everything’s finally coming to fruition, and it’s just been a great partnership. There was so much creative freedom and collaboration in developing these meals. And so I’m just grateful that people will experience them in their homes. Now, there’s such a good mix of proteins and flavor profiles.
What are some of your favorite recipes and go-to meals, and why?
Some of my favorite recipes and go-to meals combine a little heat with some sweetness. I’m like a sweet and savory girl; whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I like mixing both things, so any dish I eat has to have that element to it. I am also a sauce girl, so every meal must have sauce. I even carry sauces in my purse, just out of fear of something being flavorless.
I love your recipes and creations because they make those new to navigating the kitchen feel like they can develop dishes.
From day one, when I went on this food journey, that was the whole point of this partnership and beyond. I was always having people tell me they liked and enjoyed what I was doing for them and that they couldn’t do that, and I always felt like that wasn’t true. It’s always been my mission to create and streamline simple, easy ways for people to accomplish things, such as cooking these meals in their kitchens, so that they can feel empowered.
Now, let’s get into the process of creating these recipes. You’ve produced several cookbooks highlighting how you infuse your heritage within each recipe. Was that the same process for this partnership?
It was the same. There are a couple of dishes within the offerings that have Jamaican inspiration, and that’s always the goal for me to be able to sprinkle in my culture when and where I can. And I was so grateful to the home chef team for allowing me to play around with flavor that way. The process looks like I collaborate with my sister Maria through the cookbooks, and it’s one of our favorite things to do. However, through this development process, I was pregnant, and so many of the recipes were based on cravings that were happening at the time. For example, one of the recipes is like an ultimate fish sandwich with a spicy dill. It was clear that I was craving a specific type of fish sandwich then. We wanted to do a version that was elevated, quick, and easy for people to enjoy. So we accomplished that with this dish.
So, with that said, what are some of your favorite offerings from this partnership?
I think our jerk-style chicken and rice bowl again is a great way for people to Introduce Themselves to Jamaican food if they’ve never tried it before. We also have other fun things, like a hot honey chicken wrap that’s really delicious and unexpected. These recipes will diversify people’s kitchens. Given the bold flavors and ingredients, it seems like it’s a way to break up that fatigue some people experience when cooking.
Let’s switch gears and talk about your favorite cocktails and mocktails. I’ve had the pleasure of tasting your wine several times. It’s delicious. But I also want to know more about how cocktails can pair well with your offerings here.
For some of the spicier recipes that we’re offering, a good tequila-based cocktail can go a long way. But then I think about our fish sandwich, which is fried, or our hot honey chicken wrap. Something a little more bourbon-focused would be really good with even an icy cold beer.
Please advise those who want to learn how to navigate the kitchen, like experimenting with different herbs, spices, and flavors, but are unsure how to do so.
The Home Chef kits are a great way to do that. You don’t have to be married to a $12 bottle of spice that you’ve never used before because everything is measured out, and you’re just going to use it; we’re just going to give you what you need for that particular recipe. I hope our customers gain a sense of empowerment in their homes and kitchens and a sense of wanting to venture out and try new things. You never know what people have tried and what they haven’t. Any opportunity for me to get somebody to try something new is exciting.
