STAR CHEF FROM THE COAST
Former Gold Coaster Steph de Sousa has been cooking up a storm on this year’s MasterChef, thanks in no small part to her powers of persistence as well as an affinity for all cuisines
FEW can say they’ve tried as hard at something as former Gold Coaster
Steph de Sousa has to get into the MasterChef kitchen.
After multiple failed attempts the mother of four has achieved her dream.
Ms de Sousa has earned herself one of the sought-after 24 position s in MasterChef 2019 – Dare to Dream.
Though she resides in Newcastle she completed most of her schooling on the Gold Coast, including her senior years at Aquinas College.
As a student, home economics was the subject where she achieved her best results.
She considers the sunny region of the Gold Coast one of her many homes and with family still here, it is where she loves to return to visit.
In her time on the show so far, she shared: “My biggest, unexpected pleasure was to meet the other contestants. I feel like I’ve made 23 new friends.”
One of the things she has enjoyed so far, and is looking forward to, is working with celebrity guest chefs such as Nigella Lawson, Rick Stein and Yotam Ottolenghi.
“With Nigella being the first celebrity, I was so nervous, yet excited, to cook for her. When I slowed down and took a breath, I learnt more about myself and
my abilities to control my nerves under pressure,” she said.
“Cooking on the farm (for the Feed the Farmer Challenge) took me back to my very early days growing up in northwest Tasmania. It was a real honour to give back to the farmers.”
Ms de Sousa missed her first and second chance to join the cast and finally made it through on her third attempt.
She used the extra time to broaden her knowledge and technique each year, and felt she gained extra experience in interviewing and auditioning every time.
To help develop her skills, she has travelled to many countries to experience their food cultures, including
Vanuatu, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Fiji, New Caledonia and Singapore. “One thing I really admire about some of the people from the countries I’ve travelled to is their resourcefulness and their ability to cook with limited ingredients and equipment,” she said. When asked what cuisine she preferred, she struggled to answer, stating: “I love all of them. In winter there’s nothing nicer than an Italian dish such as pasta, and in summer a beautiful spicy Indian or Malaysian dish. “When I travel to a country, their cuisine often becomes my favourite until I’ve travelled to another.” Though she’s long since moved away from the Coast she continues to have an influence at Aquinas College, where Year 11 hospitality student Lulu Montey says she got a confidence boost from the show. “Steph has shown that when you put your mind to something you can achieve through determination and hard work,” she said. Once she’s finished with MasterChef, Ms de Sousa plans to tackle her own cooking show.
“I could teach viewers how to cook amazing dishes and share techniques for everyday cooking,” she said.
“I would also like to do some work experience in the industry, and, as I really love working with spices, I also want to put together some spice products for the marketplace.”