From the heart: Steph De Sousa on fame, family and air fryers

The Frugal Foodie, as she is known on the social media platform, has more than 580,000 followers and her fun cooking videos have been "liked" more than 4 million times.

She has more than 880,000 followers on Instagram.

And earlier this month the mother of four, who lives in Warners Bay with her husband Neville and youngest son Noah, released her first cookbook, Air Fryer Queen. It's currently the third-highest-selling cookbook in Australia, according to Nielsen BookScan.

De Sousa's life changed when she successfully auditioned for season 11 of MasterChef Australia in 2019. Finishing just shy of the top 10 opened doors, but De Sousa's ongoing success is a testament to her talent and drive.

"I am a super fan of the show. I remember seeing the ad on TV calling for people to audition for the very first season, the one where Julie Goodwin won," she tells Weekender.

"I was actually pregnant with my fourth baby Noah at the time. He is nearly 16 now. I filled out the application form and deleted it, but I thought about it every year after that. It had to wait for the right time and that was 11 years later! I applied three years in a row before I landed on the show.

"I think the biggest lesson I learnt from MasterChef was to put myself out there. I really grew in confidence during the filming of the show and came to realise I was actually OK just as I was. It gave me the confidence to knock on doors. MasterChef would get them opened for me but it was up to me to knock and then ask for what I wanted."

Prior to MasterChef she worked as a human resources manager.

"It was a wonderful job while I was bringing up my kids but it was slowly crushing my soul," De Sousa says.

"I had dreamed of being a cook or a chef since I was about 17 and was just so desperate to make it happen. I saw MasterChef as a vehicle to finally achieve it."

It was her grandmother who first taught her how to cook and, importantly, how to find the joy in cooking.

"When I left home and started having babies at 22, cooking became an everyday chore that I just loved," De Sousa says.

"I looked forward to choosing what was for dinner, making meal plans, grocery shopping and then cooking. For me, cooking is like meditation. I am practising mindfulness without trying."

De Sousa impressed judges on MasterChef with her Indian dishes. Her husband Neville grew up in Goa and delighted in opening her eyes to a new world of flavour-driven, spice-based cooking.

"Indian will always be my favourite thing to cook. It's so interesting and complex and let's not forget delicious," she says.

De Sousa launched a website, Spicy Steph, upon leaving the MasterChef kitchen and had considered developing her own range of Indian spice mixes and meal kits.

De Sousa describes her working life since MasterChef as "a rollercoaster".

"Oh my goodness, I have given so many things a crack in trying to find my place in the food world," she says.

"I've done event cooking, cooking demonstrations, catering, home-cooked meals for friends and family during Covid-19. I was a chef in a restaurant.

"It was not until I stopped being a food snob and started showing everyone what and how I cook for my family on a weeknight that things really took off and I found my place."

While dabbling in event and private catering, De Sousa prepared a three-course vegetarian meal for diners at Lake Macquarie City Council's Feast for the Senses in 2019, and again in 2021. She has also hosted cooking demonstrations at Maitland Taste and other major events.

"One quality I have that has really helped me is I love change and trying new things. I think this is what has helped me grow as a cook because I'm just not afraid to have a go," she says.

"I'm also a very hands-on learner. Often I will take something on without having a clue how to do it, and I just learn as I go. I don't think it's confidence, I think it's a ridiculous single-minded determination to make this dream I had to be a cook a reality."

In 2022 De Sousa moved to Queensland for 12 months to care for her "beautiful sister" Therese.

"She suffered from the most hideous disease, motor neurone disease. There wasn't much she could still do but she loved social media, so we decided to teach ourselves to make video content," De Sousa says.

"She recorded her journey facing life with a terminal disease, and I recorded cooking videos.

"Oh what a privilege it was to care for her. So many people say how generous I was, but honestly, how lucky was I to spend every day with my very best friend in the last year of her life? I am pretty sure my sister is looking down and working some angel magic for me."

I ask De Sousa if she learnt anything about herself while caring for Therese. She says she discovered that she was a "good advocate".

"I fought for her... I made it my mission to help her live her best life while she could and I am very proud of how brave I was at times," she says.

"I remember having to get my cranky boots on many times to fight for what she needed to keep her comfortable, right up to the day she passed when I fought for her to die the way she wanted to.

"The hardest part was after I lost her. I was so lost and uninspired. Writing Air Fryer Queen really helped keep me focused and stopped me from curling up into a ball."

De Sousa developed an interest in air fryers while creating budget-friendly recipes that were quick and easy to cook.

The air fryer, you might remember, became a kitchen staple for many households during COVID-19 lockdowns when the bread-making craze ran its course.

A couple of years ago she became a self-appointed, yet unofficial, ALDI ambassador by using their products as ingredients for her recipes.

That arrangement became official a year ago.

"I have been ALDI Australia's ambassador for a year now and have recently signed with them for a second year," she says.

"They approached me when they saw me cooking with their products. It was such a natural fit for me. I love ALDI and even if I wasn't their ambassador, I would still be singing their praises from the rooftop."

In mid-2023 De Sousa started receiving emails from publishers asking if she was interested in writing a cookbook.

"I guess I had reached that magical number of social media followers that meant they thought a book would sell," she says.

"I was very excited to meet with Are Media, who are the same publisher for The Australian Women's Weekly.

"I grew up with Women's Weekly. The very first time I cooked dinner for my family when I was eight or nine was sweet and sour pork from The Australian Women's Weekly Chinese Cookbook.

"You should have seen me the day I was invited to visit the Women's Weekly test kitchen. I actually cried from excitement. Choosing them as my publisher was a no-brainer. I trusted the brand and I think my followers do as well.

"The concept of Air Fryer Queen was really driven by my followers. It was what they were asking for."

She is proud of the book. A second is in the pipeline.

"What's next for me? So many things!" she says.

"Lots more recipe writing, a second book, cooking on the main stage at the Sydney Good Food and Wine show, cooking at a New Zealand food and wine show... I also have a new podcast in the planning stages, I've just signed on as ambassador for Sunbeam Air Fryers, I'll be cooking at Lake Macquarie's Living Smart Festival again, and there may even be a little Frugal Foodie TV show if we can get the sponsorship."

Once upon a time her dream was to open a restaurant of her own. Her priorities have since shifted.

"The dream to have my own venue is still alive in me but it looks a little different than it did five years ago," she says.

"Now I dream of having my own studio to film content and TV shows; a podcast studio; an office for a small team to help; and a space for people to come and have an immersive experience, whether that be a cooking lesson or a delicious dinner or both."

De Sousa laughs when I ask if she has a game plan for the future.

"I never had one. I still don't! I just do what I love to share, and it seems to resonate," she says.

"The thing I love most about what I do is the messages I get from people telling me I have inspired them to get back in the kitchen, cooking again.

"I really just follow my heart. I am just like every other home cook, I love trying something new.

"My single goal is to inspire people to cook for themselves and their family."

She laughs again when I ask her if people recognise her on the street and stop for a chat.

"My family are incredibly proud of me but also think it's really funny that I'm even a little bit famous," she says.

"Honestly, it still surprises me that people recognise me.

"My daughter thinks I should be a bit more committed to not leaving the house as often as I do without doing my hair and make-up, and maybe wear clothes that I haven't been cooking in all day. But if I did that, I don't think I would ever go out."

May is Domestic Violence Prevention Month and De Sousa is co-hosting the Harbouring Hope Lunch with co-host Rosie Batty AO at Belmont 16s on May 10.

It's a fund-raiser for registered charity Got Your Back Sista.

Batty, a renowned family anti-violence campaigner, will talk about how she found hope - and eventually peace - following the tragic loss of her 11-year-old son, Luke, who was murdered by his father at his cricket practice in Melbourne in 2014.

De Sousa says she escaped a violent relationship many years ago and is keen to add her voice to the national conversation.

"Honestly, this is the most special invitation that has ever been extended to me. I remember reading Rosie Batty's first book, A Mother's Story, and I felt heard for the very first time," she says.

"And just like Rosie, I am no longer a victim of domestic violence, but the scars are deep and never really heal.

"The work she has done to advocate for people like me is immeasurable and I am so grateful.

"To be asked to share a stage with her and to tell my own story in the hope of making a difference is such an honour."