By KC Santos
DUMAGUETE CITY, NEGROS ORIENTAL – It’s amazing how a simple pastry made the Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries shop very popular both here and abroad. The café was established in 1977 by a family who profess a common love for baking.
Like most success stories, the Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries shop was established by accident.
Trining Teves-Sagarbarria merely wanted to treat her family and friends with her special homemade silvanas. Word about the delicious treat soon reached neighbors, prompting the family to convert their garage into a mini-pastry shop where they started to offer this delicious dessert on a take-out basis.
The humble bakery in San Jose, located near the city’s famous Rizal Boulevard, slowly gained popularity. Tita Trining soon handed over her secret recipe to daughter-in-law Mary Ann Demandante-Sagarbarria, who would later introduce the silvanas to the rest of the country.
With the addition of addition of cakes and other pastries, Mary Ann would transform the business into The House of Silvanas.
An heirloom recipe perfectly preserved, the Sans Rival Cakes & Pastries silvanas is a heavenly surprise. Don’t be fooled with it its stiff coating; for sandwiched inside is a smooth and creamy filling.
Responsible for its chewy nougat texture is the cashew-meringue outer layer which is double-coated with cookie bits. Hints of grated nuts add an exciting crunch that complements the smoothness of the cold butter cream filling.
A box of 10 silvanas costs only 105 pesos but with each piece being incredibly light and satisfying you won’t notice you’re down to your last piece. If you have enough space in your luggage and fridge, I highly suggest you take home a few boxes of this treat.
