Warners Bay's own MasterChef Steph de Sousa is rapidly carving out a niche for herself on streaming platform TikTok.
The talented home cook (who finished 12th in season 11 of the popular reality show) is creating quick and easy recipes which she shares in a 15 to 20-second video. Her air fryer recipes are particularly popular.
"The air fryer has taken off. I had no idea, I just randomly bought one from Kmart and started playing around with it," she said.
"I did a couple of recipes on TikTok and they were received well, so I thought I'd do some more. Then I did a cheese and garlic pastry twist and it clocked up nearly 6.5 million views on TikTok. That video launched it all. I only had about 15 to 20,000 followers beforehand, now I have about 170,000."
Her videos to date have included an instant chia pudding, a two-ingredient Nutella cookie, pizza rolls, cheese and bacon jacket potatoes, and banana and oat breakfast cookies. She also shares tips, like how to cut an avocado, how to make a cheese sauce, and how to make sausage rolls using wraps instead of pastry.
Quick, easy, user-friendly and slightly quirky.
"My ultimate goal is to have my own TV show, so I'm really enjoying doing these videos," she said.
"I'm not a food snob. I love everything about cooking, from creating a two-ingredient cookie right through to a 30-ingredient jus. There's nothing I don't love about it.
"People like air fryers, and they like quick and easy meals that are achievable. And I like that stuff too. I did a pork belly in my air fryer the other day and it was honestly the best pork belly I've ever done.
"I usually come up with a theme and build recipes and videos from there, for example, five quick and easy snacks or five quick and easy breakfast dishes."
What she loves most about the videos is being herself. Keeping it real.
"I can't be anything or anyone but me. I've tried to be polished, among other things, and I can't sustain it, and I don't enjoy it. And if I don't enjoy it, there's no point," she said.
"To just be me is great, and it's working in this medium. I think I've found my place."
De Sousa has also signed up with Gathar, a private chef and catering company founded by celebrity chef Curtis Stone.
"You can have a chef come and cook for you in your home and there are many menus to choose from, everything from a grazing table to a four-course French menu. I've been doing a few of those and they have been great."
Keep an eye out for De Sousa at this weekend's Aroma Festival in Maitland, where she is hosting the Flavour Stage both days.
Kings Valley Egyptian restaurant opening in Hamilton
Mody Yakout opened his first restaurant - Kings Valley Egyptian - in Forster in 2020 and has decided to branch out to Newcastle. Hamilton's Beaumont Street, to be exact. He expects to open in about four to six weeks' time.
"Kings Valley Egyptian is the first restaurant in NSW designed as ancient Egyptian," he said.
"The menu is based on my Grandma's recipes - it's authentic Egyptian food that has been cooked in my family for many years. Opening a restaurant has always been my dream, my goal. I am passionate about my heritage. I was born in Egypt and I love food and I love cooking."
Diners can expect live (and local) music on Fridays, belly-dancing performances on a weekend, and authentic dishes like the Molokhia (Egyptian Green Soup); Hawawshi (Egyptian calzone made with fresh bread dough, stuffed with ground beef, onions, bell peppers and parsley); or the Koshari (chickpeas, pasta, fried onions and a zesty tomato sauce, served on rice and brown lentils). Dessert is the Om Ali (dough, cream, sultanas, honey almond milk and coconut baked in the oven).
Mody made the news in Forster last September for providing free nutritious meals to those in need. When he arrived in Australia from the Egyptian coastal city of Alexandria he struggled financially and was stunned by the help he received from Forster-Tuncurry families. He felt he had to give something back, and not only offered free meals from his restaurant, but delivered them too.
"I love Australia; I love this country and Australian people," he told the Great Lakes Advocate. "My door is always open. Money comes and goes and you can't take it with you."
Aroma Festival this weekend
The Aroma Coffee and Chocolate Festival returns to Maitland this weekend (August 13 and 14, 10am to 4pm).
You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to food, with everything from crepes and cookies to pastries and cupcakes. As for beverages, in addition to coffee and hot chocolate there will be wine, craft beer, cider and liqueurs. Newcastle-based Glitch Coffee Roasters is this year's official coffee partner, while MILKLAB and Norco serve as the event's non-dairy milk and milk partners, respectively.
The Flavour Stage will host a series of informative workshops and talks, featuring special guest Steph de Sousa and local businesses such as Birch & Coffee Co, The Cunning Culinarian and Mocopan Coffee. Visit maitlandaroma.com.au.
Pop-up restaurant
The Wilderness Chef team headed by Cooper Thomas is not only busy preparing for Feast for the Senses, but also a special pop-up event on September 2 in Wallsend. He said his team had been "testing and tasting" a range of new ingredients and ideas for spring and it was "time to share them with our amazing clients and the general public". Tickets to the Spring Pop Up Event/Menu Launch are on sale now at thewildernesschef.com/spring-pop-up-restaurant.
Chiefly De Gallo
Chiefly East on Newcastle's King Street is now called Chiefly De Gallo and is a taqueria (tacos, tortas and burritos) that is open for lunch and dinner (closed Sundays). If you still crave Chiefly East sandwiches, the full menu is available to take away at Chiefly West (near the light rail interchange).
