Kirsten Tibballs

22 Wilson Ave, Brunswick VIC 3056 Australia
+61 3 9380 9777
info@savourschool.com.au
Visit Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School

From World-Class Chocolatier to Global Educator

Australian chocolatier and pastry chef Kirsten Tibballs has spent more than two decades helping elevate chocolate and patisserie education in Australia and beyond. As the founder of Melbourne’s Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School, she has built a career that combines competition-level craftsmanship with a commitment to sharing professional techniques with others.

Her work encompasses handmade chocolates, pralines, elaborate desserts and contemporary patisserie, but education has become an equally important part of her contribution to the chocolate industry. Today, Savour teaches students in Melbourne and around the world through hands-on training and an extensive online programme.

An Early Passion for Pastry and Chocolate

Tibballs’ interest in pastry began at an unusually young age. She has recalled making birthday and wedding cakes from home at 12 and beginning a pastry apprenticeship at 15.

Those early experiences developed into a professional career that eventually took her beyond Australia. Training and exposure to European pastry and chocolate techniques helped shape her approach to craftsmanship and later influenced her decision to create a specialist school in Melbourne.

Competition also became an important part of her development. Tibballs represented Australia at the World Pastry Championships in Las Vegas, where her handmade chocolates received international recognition. She also won a gold medal at the Pastry Olympics in Germany.

Bringing Chocolate Education to Australia

In 2002, Tibballs founded Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in Melbourne.

Her motivation was partly inspired by the difference she observed between Australia’s developing artisan pastry scene and the established chocolate and patisserie culture she encountered in Europe. Savour provided a way to bring specialist techniques, international instructors and professional-level training to Australian students.

The school has since developed into a broader educational platform covering chocolate, pralines, confectionery, entremets, cakes, desserts, macarons and viennoiserie.

Savour’s online programme now offers more than 600 on-demand classes, with new recipes added weekly. Tibballs herself has more than 200 classes across different skill levels, while other internationally recognised pastry chefs and chocolatiers contribute to the programme.

Representing Australian Chocolate Internationally

Tibballs’ influence extends well beyond her school.

As a Callebaut Chocolate Ambassador, she has travelled internationally to demonstrate chocolate and patisserie techniques. She has also moved from competitor to judge, serving at major international competitions including the World Chocolate Masters in Paris, the Patisserie Grand Prix in Japan and World Chocolate Masters national selections in London.

Her international teaching continues as well. In May 2026, she returned to the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in the United Kingdom to lead a two-day professional course devoted to chocolate confectionery and patisserie.

Making Advanced Techniques More Accessible

One of Tibballs’ strengths is translating professional chocolate and pastry techniques into methods that can be understood and reproduced by students at different stages of their development.

That philosophy can be seen throughout Savour. Its current programme ranges from introductory recipes to advanced chocolate, confectionery and patisserie techniques, with step-by-step video instruction supporting its international audience.

Tibballs has also taken chocolate education beyond the classroom through television, demonstrations, recipes and publishing. Her books include Chocolate to Savour, Chocolate and Chocolate All Day, the latter of which remains available through Savour’s current website.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Chocolatiers

Awards established Tibballs’ technical credentials, but teaching has become an important part of her legacy.

Students who once would have needed to travel internationally to access specialist chocolate education can now learn professional techniques through Savour in Melbourne or online. The school also creates opportunities for established international chefs to share their expertise with a wider audience.

More than two decades after establishing Savour, Kirsten Tibballs continues to bridge the worlds of chocolatier, pastry chef and educator. Her work demonstrates that preserving exceptional craftsmanship is not simply about mastering a technique — it is also about passing that knowledge forward.