When in Manila, I make it a point to buy sweet goodies as a pasalubong for my two adolescent kids. Like me, they love to satisfy their sweet cravings, especially after a scrumptious meal.

In June this year, I discovered a home-based business called Pane e Dolci that sells sylvannas through Facebook. Since I love the texture and creaminess of this dessert, I didn’t waste time and immediately contacted them to order a few packs. As soon as I got my order, I tasted it and boom, heaven in my mouth! I’ve been a loyal customer ever since.

Pane e Dolci’s Sylvannas

So, for my first dessert feature, I met the owners Ruben Castor, Mark Anthony Lacuesta and Terry Castor at their newly established shop to find out the story behind this sweet treat.

Apart from finding out how this product came about, I was also curious about the people behind it. I learned that Pane e Dolci’s story is not only inspiring, but is also continuously developing.

Three years ago, Ben and Mark worked together for a multi-national company and decided to buy an industrial oven out of pure love for baking. They enrolled in baking classes to enhance their skills and then established a home-based business in Cagayan de Oro City called Pane e Dolci, which means “bread and cake”.

To start, they only supplied desserts to caterers and coffee shops. It is interesting to know that despite having started their home-based business, these two buddies originally planned to leave for Australia to pursue higher studies.

The turning point started when one of their clients who ordered 30 packs of sylvannas refused to accept the packages due to delayed delivery. This isolated incident turned out to be a blessing in disguise. As a band-aid solution, they tried selling these sylvannas through Facebook and did not expect to sell them all in such a short time. Not long after that, more people started ordering and even knocked on their door late at night to buy some after having tried their sylvannas or after hearing good reviews about it through word-of-mouth.

Pane e Dolci’s Sylvannas are made of two meringue discs filled with French buttercream and covered with crushed butter cookies that taste heavenly delectable. This dessert is best served chilled, if you want the meringue to be chewy; or frozen, if you want it a little crunchy. And just like most desserts, it is a perfect combo with your afternoon coffee or tea. You will also love its price of P160 for 5 servings.

When their home-based venture slowly turned into a potentially flourishing business, they seized the opportunity and put their Aussie trip in abeyance. Hence in October this year, they finally decided to open their own shop due to increasing demand for their sylvannas. At present, they sell at least 100 packs a day and more during peak seasons like Christmas. After three years in operations, “we finally found our golden apple in sylvannas” says Mark.

Together with Ben’s mom, Terry, they now run Pane e Dolci with a thankful heart for all Kagay-anons who have embraced their product as one of the city’s favorite desserts. As Mark lovingly puts it, “When you share our sylvannas, you also share Cagayan de Oro’s Golden Friendship.”