Kirsten Tibballs

Kirsten Tibballs is an Australian pastry chef and chocolatier.

In 2004, Tibballs represented Australia at the World Pastry Team Championships in Las Vegas, USA, winning 1st in the Individual Chocolates category,

Career Tibballs is an ambassador for Bulla Family Dairy and the sole global ambassador for Belgian chocolate brand Callebaut.

Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School In 2002, Tibballs founded Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School. Tibballs cited the local Australian market as "lagging" compared to the European market and so wanted to open an institution that offered the resources for Australian pastry chefs who could not afford to travel to Europe. As the owner and director of Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School, Tibballs runs the business. The school teaches a variety of classes on chocolate and patisserie.

In 2013, Kirsten Tibballs expanded the Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School by launching an online platform featuring video tutorials designed for a global audience. By 2024, the Savour platform hosts a comprehensive library of over 550 online classes.

Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School has hosted numerous guest chefs who have conducted both hands-on and online classes.

The Chocolate Queen Television Show The Chocolate Queen, a show aimed at home bakers, features accessible recipes along with innovative chocolate tips and techniques. The series, hosted by Kirsten Tibballs, premiered in 2018 and was broadcast both in Australia and internationally. Its success led to four additional seasons and the show was broadcast across 89 countries.

Collaborations In 2023, Kirsten Tibballs partnered with Bulla Family Dairy to launch a Murray Street Ice Creamery range, inspired by her signature desserts.

Demonstrations Tibballs travels across Australia, showcasing her chocolate and patisserie skills through live demonstrations at industry events such as The Good Food & Wine Shows and the Cake Bake & Sweet Shows.

Cookbooks Kirsten Tibballs has authored three cookbooks. In 2012, she self-published Chocolate to Savour, which won the Best Photography Cookbook of 2012 award from Gourmand in the UK. In 2016, Tibballs released her second cookbook, Chocolate. In 2023, her third book, Chocolate All Day, was published.

Television appearances In addition to her own television show, The Chocolate Queen, Kirsten has made a variety of guest appearances on other programs.

Tibballs has appeared on MasterChef Australia numerous times including the Series 9 season finale where she presented her 'Trio of Fruits.

Tibballs has appeared several times on Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield, a Foxtel Lifestyle product hosted by Justine Schofield, a contestant from MasterChef Australia’s first season.

Tibballs' cooking program, The Chocolate Queen, has aired 5 seasons across Foxtel and SBS Food in Australia.

In 2023, Tibballs participated as a contestant alongside other esteemed pastry chefs and dessert creators in the inaugural season of Dessert Masters, a MasterChef spinoff. +MasterChef Australia Appearances:YearSeriesOriginal AirdateWeekEpisode Event2013 MasterChef Australia series 5 29 July 2013 9 Pressure Test 3 Kirsten Tibballs' Coffee Caviar Tin

Competitions and awards 1st in the Individual Chocolates category, 2004 World Pastry Team Championships, Las Vegas, USA Gold medal, Live Patisserie Competition, 2004 Pastry Olympics, Germany

Personal life Tibballs is married to her husband Michael and has a son, Charlie. Kirsten has 2 siblings, her sister Fiona and brother Brenton.