The bubbly mother of four was at her animated best when Food & Wine called.

"Yep, I'm gone, I'm so devastated. It's playing on my mind," she said, with a groan.

"I was so sick of coming second to Larissa - that girl is so talented - and it made me do something I wouldn't normally have done, and shouldn't have done. My honey nougat was good; I knew how to do the parfait but I didn't count on the blast chiller being open during the cook so it didn't set. Rookie error."

Her week had started off well. She placed in the top three in Heston Blumenthal's "mystery box challenge" on Sunday night - but it was all downhill from there.

"I was so happy with my dish but that turned into frustration because I wanted to win so badly," she explained.

"I know you have to stretch yourself to do something fantastic but that day wasn't the day to do it. As much as it's a cooking competition there is a lot of luck involved. You've just got to have one unlucky thing happen on the wrong day and you're gone. That's what that elimination was for me. I made one mistake in that cook and I was gone.

"Point number 35 in the recipe on day two of the elimination was the mistake and that's what sent me home."

While disappointed, she is also philosophical about her experience.

"It's a competition. Everyone goes except for one person, right? And I made the top 12 so that's kinda cool. I'm pretty happy with that," she said.

"I went into that competition prepared to win, though. I didn't go in there with the attitude of 'I'm going to do my best'. I trained for three years to get on that show. But still, I'm thankful for every day that I was there, and that I survived that many eliminations."

As for the future, it's looking bright for the talented home cook with the big personality. She's having dinner with friend and former MasterChef contestant Reece Hignell on Saturday night to "talk pop-up restaurants" and has done some work experience at Lune Croissanterie in Melbourne.

Yes, the home of the dish created by Kate Reid that caused her to be eliminated from the competition.

"I've made hundreds of black forest croissants now and I've nailed it," she said, laughing.

"I've got a pop-up restaurant happening at Table 1 Espresso Warners Bay on July 6, which is very exciting. Owner George [James] is wonderful, he's a bit of a mentor for me now. He's a really good businessman and I think this is the start of a lovely connection.

"I'm also trying to do a demonstration tour in India in September. I've had so much support from the Indian community, and the show airs in India in October. Another thing I've been working on is developing a range of authentic Indian spices. I'd really like to get them in the supermarket but it's a lot of money. I think Australia is ready for authentic, though, I really do. I'd like to give that a crack."

Life is back to normal for de Sousa - sort of. She making school lunches but is now recognised on the street.

"The community support has been amazing. I never in a million years imagined that little old Steph from Warners Bay would get so much attention and so many people cheering me on. It has been really humbling. I feel like for the first time in my 46 years I am being myself."

Jamie Thomas is leaving saying goodbye to Winnie's Jamaican at Finnegans on June 28 to focus on his other "beast of a venture" with Two Poms Pty Ltd business partner Luke Smith: The Town Hall Hotel at Waratah.

"I'm handing the restaurant over to Jared Phillips from Organic Seed Cafe and Colin Greengrass from the Kent Hotel. Both are amazing lads and they will do their own thing," Thomas told Food & Wine. More details to come. The revamped "Townie" will be serving pub classics like handmade pies, oxtail soup, lamb liver and bacon.

Marks Point Post Office & Cafe is becoming quite the community hub. There's a "share box" containing home-grown fruit, vegetables and herbs for people to enjoy, live music on occasion, and the store often sells home-made goods. Oh, and there's a post office, a cafe and takeaway lunches and dinners.

The next Urban Mess dining event is on July 7 at Merewether Surf Lifesaving Club. And the theme? Street food. Email urbanmessevents@gmail.com to book.

Adam's Ribs & Pizza at Adamstown is hosting a 4^th of July Dinner in honour of the US tradition. Tickets cost $50 and include a three-course meal and US sodas. Bookings are essential.

Sprout Kitchen & Catering at Broadmeadow's lunch menu is worth a look. It's affordable, tasty and has been created with crisp winter days in mind.

If you like a good relish, try a jar of Pete's Green Tomato Pickles. It's made by Pete Jenkins, of Pelican Flats, and it can be found at Valentine Butchers. If there are any more stockists, let Food & Wine know.

Queens Wharf Hotel on the water at Honeysuckle now offers a cheese platter for two ($20) on Fridays.

Beerhaus opens at Westfield Kotara's The Rooftop on Wednesday, with free beef brisket sliders on offer from 11am.