These promotional stories are produced by KAJAK.MK, Macedonia’s largest tourism platform, where you can book everything you need for a quality stay and travel experience in Macedonia — from accommodation and local guides to tours, attractions, and gastronomy. Learn more at www.kajak.mk.
Today, we take you to Australia — more precisely, to a suburb of Sydney — where another bakery owned by a Macedonian who has lived in Australia for many years proudly keeps tradition alive.
Inside Riste’s bakery in Australia, the air is filled with the aroma of Macedonian heritage. A wide variety of traditional baked goods are prepared here, ranging from hand-kneaded homemade bread, made with natural sourdough or without yeast, to ceremonial loaves crafted for weddings, baptisms, and church rituals. The shelves are stocked daily with burek, maznik, pies, and other bakery specialties, while the sweet chapter of this Macedonian-Australian culinary story is completed with tulumba, baklava, and other oriental desserts that carry the unmistakable taste of the Balkans.
Behind this dedication stands the Tanchev family, originally from the village of Miravci — father and son, Slobodan and Riste — whose name has been well known for years in Liverpool, a suburb of Sydney. Their bakery, located at Macquarie Street, Unit 5/156, is more than just a shop for many locals; it is a place where memories and tradition are shaped into dough.
For more than thirty years, this Macedonian baking story has lived and endured in Australia. At “Royalty”, every product is prepared with the same philosophy practiced back home in the village of Miravci — without haste and with deep respect for the craft. Sour dough bread, loaves, rings, and various rolls are made daily, alongside authentic Balkan specialties such as burek, maznik, pies, doughnuts, tulumba, and baklava. A special place is reserved for liturgical bread used in church services, as well as decorative loaves made for engagements and weddings.
Riste comes from the Gevgelija village of Miravci, and his life journey took him thousands of kilometers away from his homeland. Yet it was here — in Liverpool — that he built a stable family business that has remained at the same location since 1996. His success is no coincidence. It is the result of years of hard work, constant perseverance, early mornings, and an honest relationship with every customer who walks through the door. Over time, the Macedonian craft became part of everyday life, and that daily routine evolved into an identity. The bread, burek, and sweets are not just products — they are a connection to one’s roots and proof that tradition can survive even far from home.
A special chapter belongs to the tulumba — a dessert that carries deep family symbolism at the “Royalty” bakery. Its taste is no accident, but the result of generational knowledge passed down from grandparents, through the father, to Riste himself. By combining all this experience, he created his own recognizable style. In this way, tulumba becomes more than just a dessert — it is a fusion of heritage, discipline, and personal craftsmanship, a true Balkan spirit that knows how to preserve the old while refining it for modern times.
Riste’s story is the story of a Macedonian who conquered Australia not with loud words, but through quiet, persistent work and flavors that speak for themselves.
