The silvana, a signature pastry product of Dumaguete City, is hailed as among the 50 best cookies in the world, and the lone Philippine cookie that made it to the list of Taste Atlas, an international online publication that explores the world through local food. 

Sans Rival silvanas ranked 25th among 50 global cookies on the Taste Atlas list, with a rating of four out of five stars.

GMA Regional TV Balitang Bisdak chanced upon members of the Te family - twin brothers Drex and Jake, who were savoring the creaminess of silvanas (layer of buttercream sandwiched by two cashew-meringue wafers and coated in cashew crumbs). 

Drex and Jake both said they love silvanas because of its “good taste.” The twins munched on the chocolate flavor first of an assortment of flavors such as ube, pandan, raspberry, strawberry, and lemon.

Their dad, Danny Te, grew up to developing a fancy for silvanas. 

Danny said that the taste of silvanas speaks a lot of home. 

Sans Rival has outlets today in other key cities in the country, such as in Cebu, but visitors would always look forward to getting the items straight from the original store in Dumaguete City in the Province of Negros Oriental.

Sans Rival is extremely happy about the inclusion of their frozen cookie with crumb coating to Taste Atlas’ list of bests. 

To recall, silvanas started with the butter flavor first baked by Sans Rival matriarch, Trinidad “Trining” Teves Sagarbarria. As a novel item and flavor at that time, the frozen cookie won immediately the approval of Dumagueteños, and went on to become part of the city’s platter of delicacies.

“We are very delighted, pleasantly surprised, shocked, everything, but definitely grateful. We never expected it, we did not even know that this atlas existed,” Trinidad “Chining” Sagarbarria Bustamante, managing director of Sans Rival, said.