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{{Short description|Trinidadian-American restaurateur (1927–2009)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mahaboob Ben Ali

| birth_name = Mahaboob Ben Ali

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1927|6|13}}▼

| native_name = محبوب بن علی

| birth_place = [[San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago|San Juan]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]

▲| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|6|13}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2009|10|7|1927|6|13}}▼

| birth_place = [[San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago|San Juan]], [[Saint George County]], [[Trinidad and Tobago#British rule|British Trinidad and Tobago]] (Now: [[San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago|San Juan]], [[Saint George County]], [[San Juan-Laventille Regional Corporation|San Juan-Laventille]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]])

| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.

▲| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|10|7|1927|6|13}}

| occupation = Businessman, Restaurateurrestaurateur

| known_for = Founding [[Ben's Chili Bowl]]

|children = 3

| citizenship = [[British people|British]] (1927-1943)<br>[[Trinidadians|Trinidadian]]<br>[[Americans|American]]

| citizenship =

| nationality = [[Trinidadians and Tobagonians|Trinidadian and Tobagonian]]<br>[[Americans|American]]

| spouse = [[Virginia RollinsAli]]

| alma_mater = [[Howard University]]

}}

'''Mahaboob Ben Ali''' ([[Caribbean Hindustani#Trinidadian Hindustani|Urdu]]: '''محبوب بن علی'''; June 13, 1927 – October 7, 2009), known as '''Ben Ali''', was an [[Indo-Caribbean Americans|Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian American]] [[businessman]] and [[restaurateur]], of [[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Indian]] decent. 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.<ref name=wp>{{cite news|first=<A|last=Href="http://Projects.Washingtonpost.Com/|title= Ben Ali, 82, Whose Chili Bowl Became a D.C. Landmark, Dies |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100804353.html?sid=ST2009100804374|work=[[Washington Post]] |publisher=|date=2009-10-09 |accessdate=2009-11-20}}</ref> Ben's Chili Bowl has since attracted presidents, [[celebrities]] and [[politicians]].<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/magazine/27Ali-t.html | title=Ben Ali: Hot Sauce | last=Witchel | first=Alex | date=December 23, 2009 | work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] | publisher=[[The New York Times|nytimes.com]] | accessdate=December 30, 2009 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130408022235/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/magazine/27Ali-t.html| archivedate=April 8, 2013<!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>▼

▲'''Mahaboob Ben Ali''' ([[Caribbean Hindustani#Trinidadian Hindustani|Urdu]]: '''محبوب بن علی''';13 June 13, 1927 – 7 October 7, 2009), known as '''Ben Ali''', was an [[Indo-Caribbean Americans|Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian American]] [[businessman]] and [[restaurateur]], of [[Indo-Trinidadian and Tobagonian|Indian]] decent. Ali co-founded [[Ben's Chili Bowl]], a [[landmark]] [[restaurant]] located on [[U Street (Washington, D.C.)|U Street]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], with his wife, [[Virginia Ali]], in 1958.<ref name=wp>{{cite news|first=<A|last=Href="http://Projects.Washingtonpost.Com/|title= Ben Ali, 82, Whose Chili Bowl Became a D.C. Landmark, Dies |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100804353.html?sid=ST2009100804374|work=[[Washington Post]] |publisher=|date=2009-10-09 |accessdate=2009-11-20}}</ref> Ben's Chili Bowl has since attracted presidents, [[celebrities]] and [[politicians]].<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/magazine/27Ali-t.html | title=Ben Ali: Hot Sauce | last=Witchel | first=Alex | date=23 December 23, 2009 | work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] | publisheraccessdate=[[The30 New York Times|nytimes.com]] | accessdate=December 30, 2009 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130408022235/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/magazine/27Ali-t.html| archivedate=8 April 8, 2013<!--DASHBot-->| deadurlurl-status= nolive}}</ref>

==Biography==

===Early life=Biography ==

Ben Ali was born '''Mahaboob Ben Ali''' in [[Trinidad and Tobago#British rule|British Trinidad and Tobago]] on June 13, 1927.<ref name=wp/> He was the firstborn child of seven<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/Content/14/Summary.aspx |title=Ben Ali Bio Summary |publisher=Bens Chili Bowl |date= |accessdate=2012-01-30}}</ref> in a Muslim family.<ref name="wp"/> Ali's grandparents had immigrated to [[Trinidad and Tobago#British rule|British Trinidad and Tobago]] from [[British Raj|British ruled]] [[Northern India]] as [[Indian indenture system|indentured laborers]].<ref name=wp/> He was raised in the town of [[San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago|San Juan]], which is located east of the capital city of [[Port of Spain]].<ref name=wp/>

Mahaboob Ben Ali was born in [[San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago|San Juan]], [[British Trinidad and Tobago]], on 13 June 1927.<ref name=wp>{{cite news|title= Ben Ali, 82, Whose Chili Bowl Became a D.C. Landmark, Dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/08/AR2009100804353.html?sid=ST2009100804374|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=9 October 2009 |accessdate=20 November 2009}}</ref> He was the firstborn child of seven<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/Content/14/Summary.aspx |title=Ben Ali Bio Summary |publisher=Bens Chili Bowl |accessdate=30 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117163228/http://www.benschilibowl.com/ordereze/Content/14/Summary.aspx |archivedate=17 January 2012 }}</ref> in a [[Islam|Muslim]] [[Indo-Trinidadian|Indian]] family. Ali's grandparents had immigrated to Trinidad from [[British Raj|British-ruled]] [[Northern India]] as [[Indian indenture system|indentured laborers]]. He was raised in the town of San Juan, which is located east of the capital city of [[Port of Spain]]. Ali moved to the United States in 1945 as a student. Ali, who had studied such poets as [[William Wordsworth|Wordsworth]], [[Geoffrey Chaucer|Chaucer]] and [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]] while in Trinidad, originally planned to become a medical doctor. Ali enrolled at the [[University of Nebraska–Lincoln|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.

Ali moved to the [[United States]] in 1945 as a student.<ref name=wp/> Ali, who had studied such poets as [[Wordsworth]], [[Chaucer]] and [[Shakespeare]] while in [[Trinidad and Tobago]], originally planned to become a medical [[physician|doctor]].<ref name=wp/>

Due to [[Islamic dietary laws|Islamic prohibitions]] prohibitions against consuming [[pork]], Ben Ali never consumed some of his restaurant's popular offerings.<ref name="wp"/>▼

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.<ref name=wp/> 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.]]<ref name=wp/>

[[Man vs. Food]] -– S02E12 -– Washington, DC was made in tribute to him.▼

▲Due to [[Islamic]] prohibitions against consuming pork, Ben Ali never consumed some of his restaurant's popular offerings.<ref name="wp"/>

== References ==▼

▲[[Man vs. Food]] - S02E12 - Washington, DC was made in tribute to him.

{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

▲==References==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Ben}}

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[[Category:2009 deaths]]

[[Category:American restaurateurs]]

[[Category:American Muslims from Washington, D.C.]]

[[Category:Businesspeople from Washington, D.C.]]

[[Category:Howard University alumni]]

[[Category:Trinidad and Tobago emigrants to the United States]]

[[Category:American businessmenpeople of Indian descent]]

[[Category:HindaviTrinidad and Tobago people of Indian descent]]

[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]