Alpha Bakery making famous pies again with family support after dementia diagnosis
Brothers Chris and Peter Tilse making pies at their bakery. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
For most of his life Chris Tilse has woken long before dawn and kneaded dough.
The rhythmic whirring of a mixer and comforting smell of yeast and sugar inside his rural Queensland bakery have kept him company.
But slowly his memory started to falter.
Little things, at first — a pinch of salt where sweetness should have been, a recipe he knew by heart slipping through his fingers.
The pies at Snow's Bakery are well known in central Queensland. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
The recipes were passed down from his dad, so Chris's younger brother Peter noticed when they didn't taste quite right.
He said it took a little while for the family to realise, but ultimately Chris was diagnosed with dementia.
"We sort of didn't realise it was happening until just things weren't quite right,"Peter said.
"We had a few rough years; we had our mother and sister die within a month of each other," Peter said.
"Chris started forgetting to come down to the bakery some days."
Chris Tilse has worked in bakeries most of his life. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
It is at this point in the interview that Chris interrupts Peter to tell a story about a time he saw a snake in the bakery.
The younger brother smiles and waits for him to finish.
"We didn't enjoy seeing what was happening to Christopher, his livelihood and the business," Peter said.
"First things first, we had to try and get his health in order before we could do anything with the business."
So in 2023, the doors to Chris's bakery were pulled shut and the ovens turned off.
Snow's bakery
They say in its heyday, the pies and bakery treats at "Snow's" reeled in travellers off central Queensland's Capricorn Highway with flaky crusts, flavourful fillings and a warm aroma.
Peter has been able to step in and reopen the Alpha Bakery. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
It has been a while between bites, two years to be exact, but now the town of Alpha's bakery is producing pies once again.
Operational duties have been taken over by Peter, with the guidance of Chris.
Peter said they decided to reopen the bakery to keep the family brand alive and to help Chris feel connected to the town.
Fresh pies out of the oven. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
"There's a bit of family pride to uphold for sure, and to try and help Chris feel like he belonged to something so he could anchor to something and feel like himself again,"he said.
It is a positive outcome for the town of about 500 people, which has struggled through a loss of industry and population.
Runs in the family
Peter says baking now runs in the family's blood, but the craft came about from hardship.
"Our family got into baking through tragedy,"he said.
In 1945, his aunt was married to the baker in Mareeba, far north Queensland.
Snow's has been on smoko. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
"She got run over by a US army truck … her husband's family had the bakery, and it went pear-shaped for them, so Dad's older brothers took it over," Peter said.
"Dad got into the trade that way."
Eventually Chris and Peter's dad, Monty Tilse, ended up in Alpha and opened a bakery.
There are lots of memories inside Snow's bakery for brothers Chris and Peter. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
Snow's Pies, came from his nickname, Snow, because of his white hair as a young lad.
In 1976, when Chris was 18, the bakery burnt down.
With no money to rebuild, Chris went off to work in bakeries around Queensland.
In the early 90s, he returned to Alpha and bought a building to continue his father's legacy.
"I've got lots of recipes," Chris said.
"We made a lot of pies here, at least 100 every day, probably more, maybe 400 some days."
Open for business
Peter also runs an entertainment venue, which he calls an old-time music and food hall, on the main street of Alpha.
He has been selling the bakery's goods from there, but is hoping to have the bakery storefront running by Easter next year.
Snow's is loved for its pies and bakery treats. (ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh)
"My sister is going to be moving on in a month or two and that leaves the two of us here to keep things afloat," Peter said.
The brothers hope Snow's Pies will take off again thanks to tourists passing through the town in the busy season.
"It's one of those things you'll meet somebody from anywhere in Australia and they'll say, 'Oh Alpha, have you been to the bakery there?'"Peter said.
"Dad obviously was known for making very good pies and those things were passed down to Chris and I kept one eye open while they were doing it.
"If someone tells you the bakery is shut, well, you can tell them otherwise."