Photo: Amanda Marsalis

When Ayesha Curry first started dating her NBA superstar husband Stephen, his palate was admittedly limited.

“He was a frozen pizza, chicken tenders, alfredo pasta type of guy,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. After nearly five years of marriage, her skills in the kitchen have opened up a wide range of cuisine for him. “Now he eats sashimi,” she says. “He’s really broadened his horizons. It’s incredible.”

With her first cookbook, The Seasoned Life (out in September), an upcoming Cooking Channel show and a pop-up restaurant in their hometown of San Francisco, Ayesha, 27, is quickly racking up her credentials on the culinary scene. “I am a firm believer that food makes people feel something. It makes people feel good, warm and happy,” she says. “That’s the most rewarding thing for me, when someone takes that first bite and I see a smile. It’s probably the same adrenaline rush Steph gets when he plays a game.”

Amanda Marsalis

Despite her culinary chops, Ayesha considers herself a “relaxed lifestyle expert” who doesn’t obsess over making everything Pinterest-perfect. “Entertaining gives me anxiety,” she admits. “I’m the most disorganized person on the face of the planet but the whole message I’m trying to send is that’s normal. You can have organized chaos and that’s okay.”

Pick up the new issue of PEOPLE to get Ayesha’s easy entertaining tips and recipes for a carefree outdoor brunch — and check out her refreshing mango lemonade recipe below. “Brunching to me is so relaxed and gives you the best of both worlds,” she says. “You get the sweet and savory of breakfast and light and freshness of lunch. And cocktails are completely appropriate.”

1 mango, peeled and chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup sugar, divided
4 ¼ cups water, divided
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 8 lemons)
1 tsp. bitters, such as Angostura

1. Process the mango, ¼ cup of the sugar, and ¼ cup of the water in a blender until smooth. (This will make the puree for the lemonade.)

2. Combine the lemon juice, bitters, and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 4 cups water in a 2-quart pitcher; stir until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the puree. Serve over ice in tall glasses.