A Unique Approach to Cooking
Steph de Sousa has carved out a remarkable career since her appearance on MasterChef Australia in 2019. However, it turns out that the 53-year-old mother of four still isn’t a fan of complicated recipes. “I can’t read a recipe to save my life. I’m terrible at it,” she candidly shares with Woman’s Day from her kitchen. She explains that she prefers using “whole numbers or cups” because of her dyslexia, which allows her brain to function better that way.
Her new cookbook, No Stress Recipe Queen, is a prime example of this approach. It’s practically devoid of fiddly numbers. “Seriously, a gram or a millilitre here or there, in my experience – with the food I make – doesn’t make any difference,” Steph declares.
A Big Break in Her Career
This refreshing and relaxed take on cooking is fitting for a star who once battled it out to impress the notoriously picky judges on MasterChef. Steph won hearts during her time on the show by quitting her well-paid government HR job to pursue her passion for cooking. Despite her popularity with viewers, her early exit forced her to dig deep once the cameras stopped rolling.
“I think because I had quit, and I was so determined to not go back [to HR], I had to make it work. I didn’t have a choice. It was a ride-or-die situation,” she explains. The star, who lives in NSW with her husband Neville and son Noah, 17, recalls how she “knocked on doors” and grabbed every opportunity just to “keep some money coming through the door.”
It wasn’t until she started posting content on her social channels that things “really started to come alive.” “I stopped being a food snob and started showing people what I cook at home, and giving people practical ideas about recipes, shopping at Aldi, those kinds of things,” she explains.
Finding Joy in Simplicity
As well as finding joy in sharing simple tips and tricks, Steph sees cooking as a “mindful process.” At times of struggle, it’s the constant she turns to. “I’ve had my own mental health battles over the years… and it’s something that if I’m having a particularly anxious day or struggling or life is crazy, all I want to do is get in the kitchen,” she explains.
“Because when I’m cooking, I’m only thinking about cooking.” While feeding her family helps Steph take on the world, she also views it as an “act of love.” This is especially true when she cooked for her beloved sister Therese as she fought a “horrible, painful” battle with motor neurone disease (MND), which she lost in October 2022.
“It was one of the loveliest things,” the star emotionally shares. “I was so blessed that Therese asked me to care for her. She could have got carers, but she really wanted to have family close by.”
Love and Loss
Steph explains how she would do “sneaky things” in the kitchen to try and give her sister the nutrition she needed to stay healthy for as long as possible. “She just loved food too,” she recalls. “It was one of those pleasures that she had right to the end.”
It is perhaps testament to Steph’s devotion that Therese ate her last meal the night before she passed away. “Most people can’t eat, most people can’t talk, but she literally lost everything except for those two things,” the star explains. Adding that before her passing, her sister promised her she would signal her ongoing presence with white feathers.
“I often see a white feather. It makes me think of her every time,” Steph shares. “I absolutely feel her every day.” Despite the agonising loss, Steph knows that her sister would be “so excited” to see what she’s achieved.
“What I’m really proud of is the fact that I’m a middle-aged woman who doesn’t have to shrink into the background. If you’re brave enough and you can save enough, you can change your life if you really want to. I think that’s a really important message that women particularly need to hear.”
