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 1^st in the Individual Chocolates category, and won Gold medal in the Live Patisserie Competition at the Pastry Olympics in Germany. Tibballs has also served as the Head of Jury for Taste at the 2022 World Chocolate Masters held in Paris. In 2002, Tibballs founde
Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School
in Brunswick, Melbourne. Tibballs is the author of three cookbooks and a regular contributor to pastry publications. In addition to hosting her own television show, ''The Chocolate Queen'', she has featured on several television programs, including ''

MasterChef Australia ''MasterChef Australia'' is an Australian competitive cooking reality show based on the original British ''MasterChef (British TV series), MasterChef''. It is produced by Endemol Shine Australia and screens on Network 10. Restaurateur and ch ...

''. As one of the most followed female pastry chefs on Instagram, Tibballs is regularly referred to as the ‘Queen of Chocolate’ due to her contributions to the chocolate industry.

Career

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

Callebaut Callebaut is a Belgian coverture chocolate manufacturer owned by the Barry Callebaut group and based in Belgium. It was founded in 1911 by Octaaf Callebaut in Belgium. Coverture chocolate contains high amounts of cocoa butter and is often u ...

Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School

In 2002, Tibballs founde
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 Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

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 world renowned, industry-leading 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 ''

'' numerous times. She appeared in two episodes of

Series 5 Series 5 may refer to: * Aston Martin V8 Series 5, an automobile model * BMW 5 Series, a line of automobiles * GeForce 5 Series, a line of video cards * Psion Series 5, a line of handheld computers * South African Class 6E1, Series 5, a series o ...

, one episode of

Series 7 Series 7 may refer to: *The seventh season of any of many shows or series; see and *Series 7 exam, officially the General Securities Representative Exam, the most comprehensive financial securities exam offered by the FINRA *'' Series 7: The Conte ...

, and two episodes of

Series 9 The ninth series of the children's television series '' Hi-5'' aired between 11 June 2007 and 10 August 2007 on the Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial ...

including the season finale where she presented her 'Trio of Fruits' and one episode of

series 10 Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used in ...

. Tibballs has appeared several times on ''

Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield ''Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield'' is an Australian television cooking show, that is hosted by former MasterChef contestant Justine Schofield. It was first broadcast on Network Ten in 2011. The show is directed towards the home-cooked ...

'', a

Foxtel NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...

Lifestyle product hosted by Justine Schofield, a contestant from ''MasterChef Australia''’s first season. In September 2023, Tibballs appeared in a third series of her cooking program, ''The Chocolate Queen'', which airs on

and

SBS Food SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world. History SBS first ...

in Australia. In 2023, Tibballs participated as a contestant alongside other esteemed pastry chefs and dessert creators in the inaugural season of ''

Dessert Masters ''Dessert Masters'', also known as ''MasterChef: Dessert Masters'', is an Australian cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine Australia which premiered on 12 November 2023 on Network 10. It is a spin-off of ''MasterChef Australia'', itsel ...

'', a ''

MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with MasterChef (British TV series), the British version in July 1990. The show aims to discover the culinary talent of chefs of varying sk ...

'' spinoff.

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 *Tibballs served as the Head of the Jury for Taste at the 2022 World Chocolate Masters held in Paris

Personal life

Tibballs is married to her husband Michael and has a son, Charlie.

Bibliography

* *

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tibballs, Kirsten Chocolatiers Pastry chefs Australian television chefs 1973 births Living people People from Leongatha Australian women chefs