2023-12-25 12:00:00
A baker since the age of 14, a sociable man in flesh and blood, Philippe Tilman will bow out on December 31.
Owner of the Tilman bakery in Salzinnes, he works in production with his brother Bruno, four years his junior. “Our father founded a bakery in Noville-les-Bois 70 years ago. That’s how he met my mother. Here, in Salzinnes, the bakery belonged to Mr. Fautre. With my brother, we took it over 22 years ago, we were the third owners. He is 61 years old, but he will not continue without me,” explains Philippe.
This Friday, it was time for icing and preparation of the last Christmas logs of his career. 150 this year. Born into flour, Philippe has had time to see the profession evolve. “Christmas remains a fairly good period, New Year is losing speed. It is especially Epiphany which has taken on an incredible scale,” he observes. The sale of king cakes would have tripled according to his estimate. As for the consumption of cupcakes, 20 years ago, it remained anecdotal and concentrated on weekends. Today customers come to pick it up all week. “Despite everything, we have remained a fairly general bakery. It’s not high-end but basic products. A mocha, an éclair, some bakers no longer make them.”
Because the profession is expanding and you need to have more than one string to your bow to attract customers: pastries, pastries, bakeries, ice cream shops, sandwich shops. “There are things we didn’t want to focus on, like cookies or macaroons.”
No buyer
“I only had two serious candidates. In the meantime, people have come forward but there are still a lot of doubts regarding the future of our profession. The increase in the cost of energy was a big blow for quite a few of us,” he regrets. Being a baker also requires sacrifices and Philippe Tilman is the first to testify to this. How many outings did he have to refuse to his friends to stay fresh as a roach on Sunday morning in front of the oven? If there were seven bakers in Salzinnes at the start of the 2000s, there will only be two left in 2023. And soon only one, the Robeaux baker.
Ready for his new life as a pensioner, Philippe has developed a definite interest in navigation. His dearest dream would be to travel through the Nordic countries, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, traveling light, making friends along the way. “Even though, I think, I was a cool boss and got along well with my team, I always had to keep a certain distance. In 22 years, I met a lot of people from the neighborhood, students from university or high school. Yes, I will miss them all,” he says.
His resolution for 2024? “Spread the joy of living and meet new people”. Good luck !
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