Ayesha Curry's International Smoke restaurant opens in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- You probably know her as the wife of NBA star Steph Curry, but soon, Ayesha Curry could be known for her barbecue ribs.

In the latest chapter of Curry's foray into the food world, she's teamed up with celebrity chef Michael Mina to open International Smoke - a restaurant that pays tribute to barbecue from all over the world.

Curry says the two connected over their love of both food and family.

"What's more family than barbecue?" she said. "Everywhere you go in the world, every family has their version of a barbecue. Whether you're going to China or Korea, whether you're going to Thailand."

But Mina says there's one type of barbecue they won't be serving: "We won't barbecue like my father barbecued. He'd burn it on the outside and it'd be raw in the middle," he said. As Curry laughed, he added, "Sorry, Dad."

Curry is no stranger to the food world, and is well on her way to following in Mina's footsteps. She already has a Food Network show, a cookbook, and products ranging from cookware to meal kits. But this is her first restaurant. "Before this, I would walk into a restaurant and think it just happens. And it doesn't just happen," she said. "To be able to work with my mentor, with Chef (Mina), and to have him train me and teach me everything i need to know, it's such a dream come true," Curry said.

International Smoke replaces RN74 in the space on the ground floor of San Francisco's Millennium Tower. RN74 was an upscale restaurant centered around French wine. "We were in this location kind of before this part of town started to become what it is today," Mina said.

Eater SF's Ellen Fort said the new restaurant concept is a better fit for the young, tech-centric neighborhood that's sprung up. "I think that (RN74's) time has passed - there's Salesforce Tower, there's a lot of younger people working in the Financial District and SOMA," she said.

International Smoke wants to serve all of them in big groups or on casual date nights, Curry said. "It's really for everyone. You look at the menu, there's something on there for everybody," she said, including her husband, Warriors star Stephen Curry, whom Ayesha said who has a serious craving for International Smoke's grilled lobster. "So yummy, he loves it, he said he could eat it every day," she said.

But mere mortals might have to wait before trying the food for themselves because International Smoke is booked up with reservations through January.

Click here for more information on International Smoke