MANILA - From cooking for a small "carinderia" to running a restaurant in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Lolita Tiu has come a long way in the food business.

Tiu's first foray into cooking led her to one of the most popular Filipino street food--the beef pares. Beef pares is braised beef stew usually served with garlic rice and broth soup.

"Kombinasyon ‘yan ng beef stew na Chinese-style, together with greaseless na fried rice," said Tiu, who is known to have been the one to coin the term "pares" in the late 70s.

Having discovered the perfect combination of beef pares, Tiu opened a small eatery in Quezon City with only a capital of P6,000.

"Ang father ko, laging naiimbitahan ‘yan sa mga fiesta kasi magaling talaga siyang cook. ‘Yung aming formula ng pares, galing din sa daddy ko. Tinuruan niya ako na ganito mo siya ititimpla,” she said.

But aside from the recipe, what makes beef pares special? Tiu revealed that it is in the slow cooking process of the beef, which may last to up to 12 hours over charcoal. This process makes the meat very tender.

“Natatancha na namin kung ilang uling ang ilalagay namin at iiwan na namin siya na hindi matutuyo at tamang tama ang lambot pagdating ng kinabukasan,” said Tiu.

Tiu's Jonas Pares has since become a famous food destination, eventually adding other items on the menu such as mami, siopao, siomai, lumpia, kikiam, and buchi.

Jonas Pares now has five branches in the country, the newest branch opening in Fort Strip at the heart of Bonifacio Global City.

From cooking only 5 kilos of beef daily, Tiu said her business can now handle up to 100 kilos per day.

"Ang susi ang aking tagumpay ay alam ko kung ano ang gusto kong ginagawa, mahal ko ang ginagawa ko. Nagtiyaga ako at nagtiis ako, at ngayon, sinamahan ko din na alam ko dapat kung ano nangyayari sa mundo," she said.