WASHINGTON Bens Chili Bowl has been a place of refuge for Danis Hebb, 59, since he was a teenager. Virginia Ali: I used to just take for granted everybodys gonna be all right. ", "This too shall pass," she said. And I went down blocks and blocks and directed traffic to come to the one-way street behind us. Media maven. Youre afraid to go out in crowds. Weve been into the community for 62 years, so weve got three or four generations. The young people will eventually become the old heads. The restaurant is located at 1213 U Street, next to Lincoln Theatre, in the northwest corner of Washington, D.C. Ben's is widely known for its milkshakes, chili dogs, and half-smokes and has truly become a community staple. Ben's Chili Bowl | LinkedIn He is now the youngest-ever general manager. [8], Ali was inducted in the DC Hall of Fame along with her husband in 2002. Its kind of fascinating.. 5425 Wisconsin Ave ", "Because we need basic systemic human right laws and we need them now.". Neal's been pleased to receive awards over the years for hard news, feature reporting, use of sound and sports. Stokely Carmichael would come, and so would Walter Washington, the mayor of that time. But nine years ago, when Ali turned 75 and the doctor told her she was at risk of having a stroke because her cholesterol had shot up to 240, Ali knew she had to change her diet. Attiah: After the coronavirus hit this year, the news came that you did not get a loan at first to continue your business, and then you finally got approved. This page is not available in other languages. Ben's Chili Bowl - Phantom Gourmet (Photo by Lenore Adkins). 5425 Wisconsin Ave ", In the days following MLK's assassination, referred to as the Holy Week Uprisings, there were protests in cities across the US. [8] She and Ben received the Key to the City from mayor Adrian Fenty in honor of the restaurants 50th anniversary in 2008. There are some instigators out there that would not like this to go well, and theyre the problem, Ali said. Ben's Chili Bowl hits Giant Food shelves, Virginia Ali on the Virginia Ali reflects on the history of Ben's Chili Bowl and how her food has brought people together. Its unlike anything Ive experienced in my 87 years. Earlier this fall, we asked Ali what she was most grateful for amid such a difficult year. ", "That was very, very hard," Ali said. Ben's Chili Bowl - Clio "There was a line out there all day long on that cold January day. The legacy at Bens is rich, he said. And then apparently they just ran out of money even before the deadline. Right now Im at home because Im an old person and Im not supposed to be down there in the crowd. In recent days, I caught up with 86-year-old Virginia Ali, who opened the Bowl nearly 62 years ago with her husband Ben Ali, who has since died. Ben Ali, the restaurants namesake, died in 2009 at the age of 82. U Street would have been the only place to really open up a restaurant because this was the hub of the African-American community, Virginia says. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, Special Counsel Jack Smiths investigations involving Trump have cost more than $9 million, Biden adviser says US is pressing for the release of reporter who has spent 100 days in Russian jail, Ocasio-Cortez endorses Bidens reelection campaign, sending a strong signal of Democratic unity, DC area flood watch to begin Sunday afternoon ahead of severe summer storms, Police identify Maryland man shot in Montgomery County parking garage, Fairfax Co. middle school employee charged after hitting student in class. In August 2021, at the first-ever F&W Family Reunionan event that celebrated diversity within the hospitality industryAli was given the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her rich and vital contributions to both the D.C. community and the world at large. Instead, he returned to the job he used to put himself through school in the first place restaurant work. He abandoned his dreams of being a dentist after breaking his back in a fall. And not only is it in Washington, it's in every city in this country and all over the world. VIRGINIA ALI Peter Som There had been unrest in the South, and we didnt want anything to happen that would [negatively] affect the movement.. Its difficult because we had these hours 7 AM to 3 AM and 4 AM on weekends. At the time, the bustling area, then known as Black Broadway served as the entertainment center for African Americans. Soldier. Add to cart Tees & More It's finally here! Ali said, "Well, tell me what it is; maybe I can help." ", "Many people had read that his first outing in Washington, DC, had been at Ben's Chili Bowl, so can you imagine how many people wanted to come to Ben's because of that?" 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. People coming in in tears. The sadness that was felt in the community. Full coverage of the George Floyd protests. Be bold - like our chili sauce - and kick up the heat! Im very positive about what the futures going to be like I think its going to be great.. Get the inside scoop on todays biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley delivered daily. Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street in 2022. It was a new and exciting place.". Other businesses have returned. A curfew was put in place, and we were right there in the middle of it. Restaurant work is truly hard work now. Well, thats all gone. The National Guard was called in. From the March on Washington in 1963 to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, Virginia Ali has been there to feed protesters. Then we found someone with a transistor radio and heard, 'He's no longer with us. Its just a pleasure for me to meet and greet our guests and see our team members. So we put this very spicy homemade chili sauce on it and made it something very special. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. The couple met in the 1950s she worked as a teller at Industrial Bank, now one of the last surviving Black-owned banks in the country. Ben's Chili Bowl planning to franchise, expand beyond the DC area Kwame Onwuachi is the chef of Tatiana in New York City and competed on Top Chef season 13. Vida Ali: We went through the process. Ben Ali, who originally hailed from Trinidad, was working his way through Howard Universitys dentistry school at a local restaurant. The restaurant became a favorite late-night gathering place for the likes of Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington and Redd Foxx. No one can come inside the Chili Bowl for safety now. Ben's Chili Bowl the iconic, 65-year-old D.C. restaurant best known for its half-smokes and its role in civil rights may be opening a location in Richmond. The banquettes at Ben's Chili Bowl were packed. We take those checks and turn them into giving back to our community by providing lunches for the medical staff at Howard University Hospital or the Washington Hospital Center and the fire department, some teachers, and even the [Black Lives Matter] demonstrators. Half-smokes on the flat top at Ben's Chili Bowl. Not only did the newsroom judge Ben's beef and turkey chili from Giant ($6.99 for 15-oz containers, on sale from the usual $8.99), but we opted to compare it to chili we ordered from U Street NW . In 2019, he was a Food & Wine Best New Chef, the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year, and Esquire's Chef of the Year. These days, Ali still works at Bens daily but her three sons Kamal, Nizam and Haidar as well as her two daughters-in-law run the business. Ali spoke with Insider about her restaurant's incredible legacy, what she talked about with Martin Luther King Jr., and why she has so much hope in the Black Lives Matter movement. The Bowl is not just a restaurant, but a cultural landmark that has survived riots, reconstruction and gentrification. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. In the late 1980s when Metro started constructing the U Street Metro Station in front of the restaurant, Bens remained open with only Virginia Ali and one other employee working. When I walk in the door and I meet these wonderful people from all walks of life and from all over the world, I am just energized. When life took a turn for the worse in Shaw, Bens Chili Bowl weathered the storm right along with it. Mahaboob Ben Ali was born in San Juan, British Trinidad and Tobago, on 13 June 1927. [2], Ali has served on the boards of several of organizations including For Love of Children. We had our first weeks vacation together 10 years later, but there was never a time when the Chili Bowl wasnt first and foremost on his mind. When you eat, sleepand dream something; when you focus on something all the time; when your focus is clear, it works. DC is located between Maryland and Virginia, in the District of Columbia. Today, Giant Food stores; tomorrow, the nation: Ben's Chili Bowl - MSN More than 7,000 people were arrested, and 13 died, during four days of rioting. I have to know, how did you come up with opening a chili dog restaurant? Ben's Chili Bowl | 275 followers on LinkedIn. Houses were boarded up. In 1968, Bens Chili Bowl was one of a few businesses the city allowed to remain open during the three days of uprisings that followed Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination- a period Ali called a time of fear and a time of sadness. Many African-American residents fled and Black-owned businesses closed up around them, never to return. Ali and her husband Ben opened Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street then known as "Black Broadway" in 1958. We can make this work,' Ali said. she asked. Ali remembers most of her customers in those days were the construction workers and people who were looking for their fix, and that other businesses didnt survive the construction. We took the bus as far as we could go, and then we walked a long way. She's the matriarch of Ben's Chili Bowl which is immensely important to the story of DC. And the large storefront windows that once revealed destruction and havoc remain intact. 233 E. Redwood Street Suite 600G [2] He was the firstborn child of seven[3] in a Muslim Indian family. I remember vividly someone just coming into the front door announcing that Dr. King had been shot; several other people came in with the same news. Ali said they're planning on making an official announcement at. Ive got my mask and all kinds of things. A new street sign designating Bens Chili Bowl Way was unveiled. [6] Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, and Stokely Carmichael often ate together at the Chili Bowl. Please visit https://benschilibowl.com/ if youd like to support us in providing meals to healthcare workers and first responders. Bayard Rustin was the chief organizer. Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. Man vs. Food S02E12 Washington, DC was made in tribute to him. "I have three wonderful sons that surprised us by becoming part of the business, and their wives as well. Ben, who immigrated from Trinidad to the United States in 1945, brought with him a palate . Street corners were overflowing with addicts. Have there been any lessons for you so far that you feel are different from what you saw in the past? "We decided on chili dogs because there were a lot of hamburger places already around. "It lasted for three nights. Copyright 2023 by WTOP. "In 1990, the subway opened and I had a banner across the building that said, 'We survived Metro.' File:Virginia Ali Ben's Chili Bowl 2019.jpg - Wikimedia Commons They do the hard work now. Weve endured with the help of the community, and our staffand our children, Virginia Ali said in a recent interview. Virginia Ali: The 'heart and soul' of Ben's Chili Bowl This article was published more than3 years ago. Watch. So now weve got a thriving community, economically strong, businesses of all kinds and in our city, we have people from every corner of the globe, we have restaurants from all over the world, we have a young generation of people moving in here that are highly educated. Virginia Ali: Dr. King had a satellite office to the youth right next to the drugstore. 1140 3rd St., 2nd Flr, NE So, he would pop in from time to time, said Ali, who opened the restaurant with her late husband, Ben, in 1958. Ben's Chili Bowl was one of the first establishments that Obama visited when he moved to DC two weeks before his inauguration. Ali was 24 when she and her husband Ben, yes the Ben, opened their restaurant on U Street in Washington, DC, when the city was still segregated and the neighborhood was known as "Black Broadway.". May 3, 2020 - Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, DC. Today, I worry about that. He had this amazing recipe for chili. [6] All three eventually became involved with running the restaurant after Ben's death.[9]. And hand sanitizers in my car and my house and my office and everywhere I go. 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All rights reserved. Iconic Washington, D.C., Restaurant Arrives at Baltimore Marketplace As the day approached, and we were seeing things happening in the South, we were a little bit nervous, Ali recalled. For decades, Bens Chili Bowl owner Virginia Ali ate a beef hotdog daily that she slathered with mustard, onions and of course, the restaurants famous chili. Riots erupted in response to Kings death. 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