We all have our own childhood food stories to tell. For friend and former media colleague Kris Alcantara-Mendoza, her most memorable childhood story was about her Lolo Cipriano (Alcantara) and the awesome Cashew Sans Rival he used to bake for her. Her dad’s dad, Lolo Cipriano lived in the same house with Kris and was an integral part of her family, and though he was not a baker by profession, he loved to make this Cashew Sans Rival, which he tweaked and perfected over time, until it became it became a big part of their family tradition. It was always served during special occasions and became the gold standard for Sans Rival for the family.

“His version was rich but not the overly sweet kind. The meringue is baked low and slow, so it was one of those things that took time to make and it was always worth the wait,” Kris says.

She adds: “It had, for us, the perfect ratio of French buttercream to meringue. He was also not one to scrimp on using good butter. We especially loved it when the crunch of the Sans Rival softened as the cake thawed, which created this perfect blend of crunch and chew.”

Having grown up appreciating her lolo’s Sans Rival, Kris would enjoy it and even share it with her friends every now and then during the course of her studies and even when she started work in a media organization. It was part of who she was as a person. So, when she finally got married and started a family, it was the first thing that came to mind when she and her husband Cholo Mendoza began toying with the idea of starting a business of their own. It was 2016, Kris was pregnant with their first child, was unemployed and under her OB-GYNE’s strict orders for bed rest.

“Of course I got bored! So when talk of my Lolo’s old Sans Rival recipe came up in a conversation, my husband urged me to try and make it. Between the two of us, he was the Sans Rival guy, and he had yet to try this Sans Rival many of my friends and family have been telling him about for years. So, I thought, why not?” Kris relates.

She did — and it turned out well. She followed her Lolo Cipriano’s recipe, even the way she decorated the icing with marks of a fork, just like traditional Sans Rival was made. When it was ready, she and Cholo started selling their signature cake, Cashew Sans Rival, and naturally named it Cipriano’s Sans Rival.

It became a hit. People who have tried it loved it so much so that, now, there are eight variants of Lolo Cipriano’s Sans Rival, including sugar-free versions. The flavors are nut-based, as the original cashew was replaced with macadamia, pistachio, and Triple Nut (a combination of pistachio, macadamia and cashew) for variation. Every variant comes in two sizes — 7 inches and 9 inches (in diameter). Because the Triple Nut Sans Rival became very popular, a tin can version of it was developed, which, according to Kris, “is more portable and travel-friendly.”

In 2019 and over the course of the pandemic, Cipriano’s Sans Rival started selling Silvanas as well. These are frozen Sans Rival cookies that the Mendozas now make using the same Sans Rival recipe and sell in boxes of 8 for the Original and in boxes of five or six for the sugar-free versions.

And then a neighbor of theirs, who was celebrating his 50th birthday, talked to Kris and requested if Cipriano’s could make a version of the Triple Nut Sans Rival in Silvanas form so he could send out some for his “Zoom party.’ Kris obliged, and so the Triple Nut Silvanas were born.

While the Sans Rival business was thriving, Kris decided to develop a Chocolate Cake. She went back to the tubs of chocolate fudge icing her Lolo Cipriano used to make for her when she was little and drew inspiration from it. Kris tweaked the original recipe to make it more decadent and more “in-your-face” with chocolate. “Ours is a super simple version. So we call it No Nonsense Chocolate Cake because it doesn’t have the distractions of nuts, syrups or caramel. Just pure chocolate goodness. That’s how I like my Chocolate Cake. Scandalously chocolatey!” says she.

Also on the menu now is Food for the Gods, which Kris makes with dark dates and some muscovado and walnuts tossed in butter, available not just during Christmas but all year round. Also a must-try!

Cipriano’s Sans Rival delivers within Metro Manila. Order through their online shop, CiprianoSansRival.com, or through IG

(@ciprianosansrival) or mobile number 0917-1643939.