Ben Ali (businessman)
Encyclopedia
Mahaboob Ben Ali, known as Ben Ali, (June 13, 1927 - October 7, 2009) was a Trinidadian
-born American
businessman and restaurateur
. Ali co-founded Ben's Chili Bowl
, a landmark
restaurant
located on U Street in Washington D.C., with his wife, Virginia Ali, in 1958. Ben's Chili Bowl has since attracted presidents, celebrities and politicians.
on June 13, 1927. He was the firstborn child of seven in a Muslim family. Ali's grandparents had immigrated to Trinidad from northern India
. He was raised in the town of San Juan, Trinidad, which is located east of Port-of-Spain..
Ali moved to the United States
in 1945 as a student. Ali, who had studied such poets as Wordsworth, Chaucer and Shakespeare while in Trinidad, originally planned to become a medical doctor
.
Ali enrolled at the University of Nebraska, but suffered a broken back as the result of a fall down an elevator shaft while at the school. He spent months recovering from the accident. Following his recovery, Ali attended four separate universities before earning his bachelor's degree
from Howard University
in Washington D.C.
Due to Islamic prohibitions against consuming pork, Ben Ali never consumed some of his restaurant's popular offerings.
An episode of Man vs. Food was made in tribute to him.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
. Ali co-founded Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl is a landmark restaurant in Washington, D.C., located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the Shaw neighborhood of northwest D.C. It is known locally for its chili dogs, half-smokes, and milkshakes, and has been an integral part of the neighborhood's history since its...
, a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
located on U Street in Washington D.C., with his wife, Virginia Ali, in 1958. Ben's Chili Bowl has since attracted presidents, celebrities and politicians.
Early life
Ben Ali was born Mahaboob Ben Ali in TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on June 13, 1927. He was the firstborn child of seven in a Muslim family. Ali's grandparents had immigrated to Trinidad from northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was raised in the town of San Juan, Trinidad, which is located east of Port-of-Spain..
Ali moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1945 as a student. Ali, who had studied such poets as Wordsworth, Chaucer and Shakespeare while in Trinidad, originally planned to become a medical doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
.
Ali enrolled at the University of Nebraska, but suffered a broken back as the result of a fall down an elevator shaft while at the school. He spent months recovering from the accident. Following his recovery, Ali attended four separate universities before earning his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington D.C.
Due to Islamic prohibitions against consuming pork, Ben Ali never consumed some of his restaurant's popular offerings.
An episode of Man vs. Food was made in tribute to him.