Ben Ali, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl diner, a landmark in Washington's black business and entertainment district and a frequent stop for politicians and celebrities, has died. Ali died at home of natural causes he was 82.
Born Mahaboob Ben Ali in Trinidad in 1927, Ali earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska and moved to Washington to study at Howard University's medical and dental schools. He withdrew, however, after injuring his back in a fall.
He and his fiancee Virginia Rollins, opened the restaurant on nearby U Street, in an old movie house on August 22, 1958, then known as America's "Black Broadway" for its thriving black-owned shops and theaters. They were married seven weeks later. Jazz greats Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald performed along the strip and were known to visit Ben's.
It became a longtime fixture in the black business community, serving up bowls of chili and its trademark chili-covered half-smokes.
The smothered sausages became Washington's answer to the Philly Cheese Steak when rivalries flared between the NFL's Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking to the future...In the event any of his three sons took over Ben's Chili Bowl, Mr. Ali gave them all the middle name of Ben. His two younger sons, Kamal and Nizam, now operate the restaurant, a location at Nationals Park Statuim and a recently opened annex, Ben's Next Door.
Born Mahaboob Ben Ali in Trinidad in 1927, Ali earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska and moved to Washington to study at Howard University's medical and dental schools. He withdrew, however, after injuring his back in a fall.
He and his fiancee Virginia Rollins, opened the restaurant on nearby U Street, in an old movie house on August 22, 1958, then known as America's "Black Broadway" for its thriving black-owned shops and theaters. They were married seven weeks later. Jazz greats Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald performed along the strip and were known to visit Ben's.
It became a longtime fixture in the black business community, serving up bowls of chili and its trademark chili-covered half-smokes.
The smothered sausages became Washington's answer to the Philly Cheese Steak when rivalries flared between the NFL's Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking to the future...In the event any of his three sons took over Ben's Chili Bowl, Mr. Ali gave them all the middle name of Ben. His two younger sons, Kamal and Nizam, now operate the restaurant, a location at Nationals Park Statuim and a recently opened annex, Ben's Next Door.
Ben Ali, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl diner, a landmark in Washington's black business and entertainment district and a frequent stop for politicians and celebrities, has died. Ali died at home of natural causes he was 82.
Born Mahaboob Ben Ali in Trinidad in 1927, Ali earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska and moved to Washington to study at Howard University's medical and dental schools. He withdrew, however, after injuring his back in a fall.
He and his fiancee Virginia Rollins, opened the restaurant on nearby U Street, in an old movie house on August 22, 1958, then known as America's "Black Broadway" for its thriving black-owned shops and theaters. They were married seven weeks later. Jazz greats Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald performed along the strip and were known to visit Ben's.
It became a longtime fixture in the black business community, serving up bowls of chili and its trademark chili-covered half-smokes.
The smothered sausages became Washington's answer to the Philly Cheese Steak when rivalries flared between the NFL's Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking to the future...In the event any of his three sons took over Ben's Chili Bowl, Mr. Ali gave them all the middle name of Ben. His two younger sons, Kamal and Nizam, now operate the restaurant, a location at Nationals Park Statuim and a recently opened annex, Ben's Next Door.
Born Mahaboob Ben Ali in Trinidad in 1927, Ali earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska and moved to Washington to study at Howard University's medical and dental schools. He withdrew, however, after injuring his back in a fall.
He and his fiancee Virginia Rollins, opened the restaurant on nearby U Street, in an old movie house on August 22, 1958, then known as America's "Black Broadway" for its thriving black-owned shops and theaters. They were married seven weeks later. Jazz greats Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald performed along the strip and were known to visit Ben's.
It became a longtime fixture in the black business community, serving up bowls of chili and its trademark chili-covered half-smokes.
The smothered sausages became Washington's answer to the Philly Cheese Steak when rivalries flared between the NFL's Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking to the future...In the event any of his three sons took over Ben's Chili Bowl, Mr. Ali gave them all the middle name of Ben. His two younger sons, Kamal and Nizam, now operate the restaurant, a location at Nationals Park Statuim and a recently opened annex, Ben's Next Door.
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
