02 Feb Pane e Dolci – Unforgettable Sweets Delightful Taste in Every Bite
Pane e Dolci, pronounced, Pan-e ee Dul-chee. For those unfamiliar with this sweet delicacy, the sylvannas (sometimes spelled as silvanas) is an original Filipino dessert as the frozen cookie version of the Filipino cake, Sans Rival. It is a layer of salted butter cream sandwiched between two meringue wafers coated with cookie crumbs. However, the sylvannas created by Pane e Dolci is a bit different and definitely more delicious. Sylvannas is the main product of Pane e Dolci.
Though Pane has other products like cakes and brownies, they would rather focus on making different flavored sylvannas rather than stretching their time and resources too thin.
Pane e Dolci is the first to bake and sell real sylvannas in Cagayan de Oro. Making and baking sylvannas takes a lot of time and effort since the main process involves slow baking. They are also the first and only outlet to feature sylvannas in different flavors like nutella, classic (salted butter cream), ube, chocolate, peanut butter, and red velvet. The latter, it turns out, is the overall best seller of the lot because of its unique flavor.
It All Began Like This
Pane e Dolci opened in October 8, 2013 and their first and main branch is still their present store at the corner of 12th and 21st Streets in Nazareth. But prior to that, the business partners were baking and selling cakes and brownies on the internet from their apartment in the 12th and 21st Street area in Nazareth.
Even prior to this, being professional nutritionists, Ruben and Mark worked, and eventually met, when they did the Nestle Wellness projects in 2010. From there they decided to become business partners and bought some baking equipment to start off.
Aside from selling online, they even sold their wares at different fast foods and school canteens. They were about to give up but they thought of a new idea, they wanted to make sylvannas their signature product.
They have never regretted this decision because sylvannas are now a hit in the city. They have even opened another branch as a kiosk at the Ayala Centrio Mall.
The Concept and Story Behind the Logo and Name
The concept and story behind the logo and brand name actually began with George, the owners’ close friend and classmate from college who is a marketing specialist. The owners credit George with everything about Pane e Dolci because Ruben admits that their establishment’s original name was ‘Rollers and Mixers’ but instead, George came up with the Italian name because the use of Spanish names in Philippine businesses was too common, and the name literally means, “breads and cakes.” The hard pronunciation is also intended for people to better remember the place.
George then came up with the apple logo because an apple usually symbolizes “temptation” or indulgence. In fact, companies that use apple logos tend to be very successful. But the apple used as the logo for Pane e Dolci is not just any apple; this is the golden apple used in the Greek mythology background for Homer’s The Iliad and Helen of Troy.
Eris Goddess of Discord
The story of the golden apple starts with the wedding of the Greek god, Zeus, and Leda. However, Eris, the goddess of Discord wasn’t invited because Zeus feared she would cause chaos during the wedding. In her anger, the goddess of Discord “gate crashed” the wedding and threw a golden apple on the food table with the markings, “To the Fairest.” This then started an argument between the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera as to who was the fairest.
To end the argument, Zeus called upon a mortal, Paris, to decide who was the fairest of the three goddesses. The three goddesses then began to bribe Paris with what they could offer. Aphrodite then took off her clothes, and standing naked in front of Paris, stated, “If you choose me, I will give you the most beautiful woman in the world.” Paris then chose Aphrodite. Of course we all know what happens eventually after this when he meets Helen of Sparta, later to become Helen of Troy. So according to the owners, George’s concept is that if the golden apple could cause chaos in mythology, then their “golden apple” or sylvannas could cause a stir in Cagayan de Oro.
Even their store location has a story to tell. Many have suggested to Ruben and Mark to transfer to Divisoria, but they opted to stay in Nazareth. Many customers have different stories upon finding their pastry shop. It is these stories that make Pane e Dolci stick into their minds, and when they taste the sylvannas, they can all say, “it was worth it.” Even the green motorelas in their Facebook albums have a message to tell because green motorelas are exclusively for Nazareth and Macasandig, and the contention is that most motorela drivers know where 12th and 21st Streets are located.
Meet the Owners
Mr. Ruben Castor and Mr. Mark Anthony Lacuesta
Ruben Castor and Mark Lacuesta never realized in their life that they would eventually become entrepreneurs, and in the food business, at that. According to Ruben, what drove them onwards in their business was “pure confidence.”
Compared to other business people and business families, Ruben and Mark were raised and schooled to be “good corporate executives” and their mothers saw them as sitting at desks holding ballpoint pens. Instead, they took a different turn and are now successful business partners.
Ruben Castor is a dietician graduate from Siliman University in Dumaguete. He also took up Culinary Arts with Holistic Nutrition at Culinary Institute of Cagayan de Oro (CIC). In addition, he also took up Professional Baking and Pastry Arts/Professional Cake Decoration and Design at Monster Kitchen and he has Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and Certificate IV in Hospitality (in short, Australian qualification in cooking and hospitality at Challenger Institute, West Australia.
Mark Lacuesta is also a dietician graduate, but from Central Mindanao University in Bukidnon. He also took up Fundamentals in Pastry Arts at the International School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) in Cebu. He is also a trained barista at Jamaican F&B.
Ruben hails from Zamboanga del Norte near Dipolog, while Mark comes from Valencia, Bukidnon. However, they consider themselves now as true Kagay-anons. They both taught cooking and baking at Sweet House in the past.
Pan e Dolci’s Cafe Zibetto
Cafe Zibetto
Cafe zibetto is the world’s most expensive and rarest coffee. Pane e Dolci will be serving up roasted and brewed cafe zibetto starting sometime this February, being the first and only place to serve up this coffee at Pane e Dolci in Nazareth.
Are Kagay-anons ready for Cafe Zibetto? Well, in the past Ruben and Mark never knew if sylvannas would make an impact in Cagayan de Oro, and it did, so hopefully cafe zibetto will make the same impact as sylvannas did.
However, unlike the Kopi Luwak that uses civet cat coffee beans from Indonesia, the coffee beans that Café Zibetto will use are from civet cats from Northern Mindanao, and will therefore cost much less than Kopi Luwak.
Sylvannas as Pasalubong from Cagayan de Oro
Assorted Sylvannas
Classic Flavor
Nutella Flavor
Red Velvet Flavor
Peanut Butter Flavor
Ube Flavor
Ruben and Mark have re-sellers in nearby cities like davao, iligan, valencia, etc. Their sylvannas come in these different flavors: ube, nutella, chocolate, peanut butter, red velvet, classic and assorted.
Let’s Do the Sylvfie!
“Sylvfie” is the shortcut for “sylvannas selfie”. Sylvfie is done by covering one eye with sylvannas. Here are some pictures sylvfies for your viewing pleasure:
Valentine’s Product Offerings
Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, here are the products that Pane e Dolci has to offer that make perfect gifts for loved ones this February.
Chili Chocolate Cake
Matcha Green Tea Cheese Cake
Tiramisu Cake
Red Velvet Cake
Contact Information and Location
Pane e Dolci is located at 12th-21st Streets, Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City. For orders and bookings, contact these numbers: 0917-7086271 or 09177086272.
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/pane.e.dolci
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