Renowned Australian pastry chef and chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs will present a one-day Grand High Tea Buffet at Suva’s historic Grand Pacific Hotel on Sunday, 22 March 2026, organisers have confirmed. The event — billed as a curated high tea experience by the chef often dubbed the "Chocolate Queen" — will be held on the hotel's Victoria Lounge Terrace from 2:00pm to 4:30pm and is open to hotel guests and the public.
Tickets are priced at FJ$80 per person. Seating is limited and organisers say advance bookings are required; those interested are advised to secure places through the Grand Pacific Hotel’s reservations. General Manager Robert Clark described the appearance as a rare opportunity for Suva residents and visitors to enjoy an elevated afternoon tea at one of the capital’s landmark venues, noting the event’s mix of classic savouries, pastries and Tibballs’ signature chocolate work.
Following the Suva high tea, Tibballs will continue a short residency at the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in Natadola Bay from 25 to 28 March 2026. That programme will focus on dessert-led culinary experiences presented as exclusive, limited-capacity events, organisers said. The wider initiative is being delivered in partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts; regional general manager Lachlan Walker said the residency series is intended to create “unique culinary moments” that draw both local diners and travellers seeking distinctive experiences in Fiji.
The events also carry a charitable component. Part of the proceeds from selected sessions will support the Daulomani Safe Home: FJ$5 from each relevant ticket sale will be donated to assist the organisation’s work providing shelter and protection for women, children and members of the LGBT+ community facing difficult circumstances, organisers confirmed.
Tibballs expressed enthusiasm for bringing her high tea concept to Suva, saying she looked forward to sharing the experience before moving on to the dessert-focused programme at Natadola Bay. The appearance underscores a growing trend of international chef residencies staged across Fiji’s premium hotels; in recent months the InterContinental and Grand Pacific have hosted visiting chefs for short series, including a “Taste of Texas” programme late last year that coincided with new international flight connections.
Organisers say each of Tibballs’ sessions will be limited in capacity to preserve the intimate, curated nature of the experiences. The combination of a Suva afternoon tea and a Natadola dessert residency is positioned to appeal to both capital-based diners and resort guests, potentially boosting culinary tourism in the lead-up to the traditional travel season.
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