Lake Macquarie's Steph de Sousa is the very definition of a self-made success.
The keen cook was working in human resources when she successfully auditioned for MasterChef Australia in 2019, finishing 12th. The experience immediately opened doors for the mother of four.
Leaving her HR job of 15 years behind her, de Sousa worked with Lake Macquarie City Council to cater and host events, set up social media account The Frugal Foodie, and even spent time working in the kitchen of a Belmont restaurant.
It was while living in an apartment above ALDI in Warners Bay (and shopping there regularly) that she started using their products in her cooking videos, in keeping with her budget-friendly, no-fuss approach to everyday cooking.
She had an idea in mind.
A Frugal Foodie website followed, plus three cookbooks and her own television show.
De Sousa also became an ALDI brand ambassador and this week launches her very own cookware range at ALDI that is as vibrant and colourful as she is.
You'll find the Steph Cooks Stuff x ALDI collection, for a limited time only, in ALDI's famous "middle aisle". You know, the miscellaneous aisle that stocks anything and everything .... the aisle that grabs your attention when you walk in for a carton of eggs and walk out with a leaf blower.
The 13-piece collection, ranging in price from $4.99 to $49.99, features pop pinks, dreamy purples and electric blues, super-lightweight cast aluminium pots and roast pans, and playful details across the utensils and accessories.
There's even a silicone spoon rest that doubles as a pot vent in the shape of de Sousa's favourite eyewear.
Shoppers can pick up the entire cookware range for under $165.
"There's no one brighter, bubblier or more fabulous in the kitchen than Steph de Sousa so we couldn't be more excited to develop this unique range that matches her flair and lives up to our promise of exceptional quality at ALDI prices," ALDI Special Buys group director Belinda Grice said.
"This is our first ever cookware collaboration. Having worked with Steph for a number of years, this range brings together our shared passion for making home cooking simple, enjoyable and accessible."
For de Sousa, who was directly involved in developing the range, it was a lot of fun.
"I told them what I wanted in a range. They came back with some samples, then asked me what colours and coating and features I wanted," she said.
"I've been using the range in my own kitchen for the past year. I love a cast iron pan but they're so damn heavy. I wanted my pan to do what a cast iron pan does but not be as heavy. It's really light to pick up.
"ALDI have been incredible to work with. They're so supportive and always looking for opportunities, and they've done projects with me that they've never done before as a company - we actually won an award earlier this year."
De Sousa and ALDI won the "best long-term ambassador/partnership (2+ years)" at the Australian Influencer Marketing Council (AiMCO) Awards in February.
She has also been working with appliance brand Sunbeam Australia on a new airfryer range and is the inaugural Hope Ambassador for MND Australia (de Sousa lost her sister Therese to motor neurone disease in 2022).
"I have more time to do the things I love now that I can afford to get people to help me. I used to do every single thing myself," she said.
"I can concentrate on the things I like to do, the creative stuff.
"Last week we took photos for my fourth cookbook which is coming out next April.
"It still itches at the back of my head, the idea of having a restaurant, but I wouldn't be able to run it myself. I drive past places all the time and think 'Oh this would be a good pizza bar, or a nice wine bar'.
"Frugal Foodie season two has just finished and hopefully the sponsors will want to do it again. ALDI has never sponsored a TV show before, so it has been a worldwide first for them."
The Steph Cooks Stuff x ALDI launches tomorrow in ALDI's middle aisle.
Tomago-based MGA Thermal has appointed Greg Fyffe as its first chief commercial officer following a $17 million capital raise in March.
The former head of sales and energy solutions at Shell Energy Australia has been tasked with building the commercial structures needed to help industrial operators adopt electro-thermal energy storage.
MGA Thermal has commenced a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for a 195 megawatt-hour electro-thermal energy storage (ETES) project at global chemicals and mining company Tronox. It is being developed by Australian company Knode and co-funded by a $2.9 million agreement with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The project will commence construction in 2027 with support from global engineering heavyweight GHD. It is expected to reach commercial operation by 2028 where it will deliver approximately 20 tonnes per hour of renewable steam to Tronox's Kwinana facility.
The project's initial rollout will allow Tronox to avoid 38,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum, with the potential to eliminate fossil fuel usage if deployed at scale.
Retired Newcastle chef Ken Harris is helping older men build confidence in the kitchen and "age well".
For 50 years he worked in world-class hotels and restaurants. These days, he is the driving force behind a men's cooking group at Shortland Waters Retirement Living.
The group cooks together, shares meals and builds friendships in line with principles seen in global Blue Zones, where people live longer through strong social connection, purpose, and simple, healthy food.
"After my wife and I moved to Shortland Waters in 2020, I realised a lot of the older men in the community didn't cook," Harris said.
"I thought it might not be a bad idea to see if there was an interest in a men's cooking group here. It was an experimental thing."
The cooking group brings the Shortland Waters community together for regular dinners and special events.
"It's really more about getting comfortable in the kitchen and having a pleasant couple of days preparing and serving the food. There is a learning component as well, but it's about confidence in the kitchen," Harris said.
"And it's not just about the food - it's about the people and the connection."
Red Insight, a workplace health and safety consultancy based in Rutherford, has been named the 2026 Australian Trades Small Business Champion in the "trade consultants" category.
The award was presented at a gala event at Sydney's Sofitel Wentworth last month.
Red Insight was recognised for excellence in business performance, innovation, customer service, sustainability and community contribution.
Newcastle mortgage and finance leader Brad East, director of Wisebuy Home Loans and co-founder of Dealify, is a finalist in the 2026 FBAA Awards of Supremacy for Industry Champion of the Year.
He is about to launch a book, The No-Bullshit Guide to Buying Your First Home.
