Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C. Landmark (Images of America) [Paperback]

Tracey Gold Bennett (Author), Nizam B. Ali (Author), Foreword by Bill Cosby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2008

From the days when U Street was hailed as Black Broadway to the current revitalization and gentrification of the new millennium, Ben's Chili Bowl survived it all. On August 22, 1958, West Indian immigrant Mahaboob Ben Ali and his fiance', Virginia Rollins, saw their dream realized as they opened a hot dog and chili shop on U Street. They never imagined that Ben's would become world renowned or such a beloved restaurant in the nation's capital. Today visitors to U Street will find a diverse and eclectic mix of residents, music venues, trendy shops, and, of course, the Bowl. The images in this book provide a look back over the 50-year history of Ben's Chili Bowl, U Street, the Ali family, and the patrons who have helped define Ben's as a vibrant cultural landmark.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Publication: DCist.com Article Title: New Book Celebrates Ben's Chili Bowl's 50th Anniversary Author: Sommer Mathis Date: August 11th, 2008 We got a press release announcing that a new book, Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C., Landmark, is now available for sale. Ben's is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. Mahaboob Ben Ali and his then-fiancée, Virginia Rollins, opened the hot dog and chili shop on U Street on August 22, 1958. Congratulations to the Ali family on all their achievements! The book, written by journalist Tracey Gold Bennett and Ben's co-owner Nizam B. Ali, with a foreword by Bill Cosby, is available for $19.99 from Arcadia Publishing. With images and stories spanning the entire history of Ben's, it should make a nice keepsake for half smoke devotees. A big anniversary party is planned on Aug. 22 at Ben's, featuring live music and a number of giveaways. There's also a free concert in the works at the 9:30 Club on Sunday, Aug. 24 from 2-10 p.m., with Trouble Funk, EU, Wes Felton and Friends, Mambo Sauce, Sage Infinity, V. Rich and Pancake Mountain on hand to celebrate 50 years of chili dogs. Publication: The Washington Post Article Title: 50 Years of Friends and Chili Author: Jane Black Publication Date: August 20th, 2008 It's hard for Nizam Ali to pick his favorite celebrity sighting at his family's restaurant. There was the day he got a call that U2's Bono would be arriving in 10 minutes. And the day Russell Crowe arrived to film a scene for the upcoming movie State of Play. What Ali likes best about Ben's Chili Bowl is that he never knows just whom he'll meet. Sometimes you look up and you see Charles Rangel in line. One time you're on the phone and Chris Rock walks in says Ali, one of the founders' three sons. Sometimes it's someone from Hawaii or London who's heard about the place and made the effort to come in. This week, Ben's celebrates its 50th anniversary with a block party, gala and concert, each designed to elicit memories. Bill Cosby, who has been coming to Ben's for 49 of its 50 years, will emcee a gala at the Lincoln Theatre on Thursday night that will also include Washington luminaries Roberta Flack and Dick Gregory. On Friday, a block party will follow a news conference featuring Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, restaurant founders Ben and Virginia Ali and others. On Sunday, there will be a free concert at the 9:30 club featuring EU, Trouble Funk, Mambo Sauce and other bands. A book, Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C., Landmark, which celebrates the Ali family and the U Street neighborhood, hit the shelves Monday. Nizam Ali is a co-author. The Alis opened the bowl on Aug. 22, 1958. In the early 1960s, when U Street was considered Black Broadway it played host to the likes of Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Cosby. The restaurant survived the 1968 riots and the severe downturn that followed. Though Ben and Virginia are retired, almost everyone else in the Ali family still pitches in. The counter, booths and stools are all original, and the chili is still made from the same recipe. Ali and his brother Kamal are committed to keeping Ben's true to its roots. But they are making changes. In October, they will open a bar next door to Ben's, tentatively named Next Door. The new space won't try to duplicate the experience at Ben's but will complement it, Ali says: You'll be able to get a beer, and maybe you'll be able to get a salad, because you can't get a salad or liquor at Ben's. And you will be able to get one of the famous half-smokes or chili dogs at the new 50-foot-long bar. We owe our 50 years to every customer that's come in and every person who's gone out of their way to spread the word about Ben's. --DCist.com

About the Author

Tracey Gold Bennett has written and produced news for numerous radio and television stations around the country and has also worked as a columnist for the Washington Examiner. This is her third book on Washington, D.C.'s rich African American history. For the past 10 years, Nizam B. Ali has worked side by side with his brother Kamal at the restaurant established by their parents, Ben and Virginia Ali. They continue to work tirelessly to ensure the longevity and success of the landmark.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (August 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738554243
• ISBN-13: 978-0738554242
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,326,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Washington D.C. Landmark Celebrates Fifty Years, August 15, 2008

By 

Robin Friedman (Washington, D.C. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C. Landmark (Images of America) (Paperback)

On August 22, 2008, an unlikely Washington D.C. Landmark, Ben's Chili Bowl, will celebrate its fiftieth year in business at 1213 U. Street N.W. in the Shaw area of Washington, D.C. Ben's -- or the Bowl -- is famous for its chili, made to a secret formula -- which is spread liberally on its hot dogs and half smokes, and served frequently with cheese fries and shakes. Bens will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary with a concert at the Lincoln Theater on August 21 and a street festival on August 22. I had a chili dog and more cheese fries than I could eat during my most recent visit to the Bowl a couple of weeks ago.

The Bowl is located in the building which once housed the Minnehaha Theater, the first silent movie theater in Washington, D.C., and it is adjacent to the Lincoln Theater, itself a landmark of African American culture in Washington, D.C. for many years and recently restored. The interior of the Bowl -- with its stainless steel counter, its counter seats, tables, and large back room -- all of which have remained in use since the restaurant's opening -- are familiar to generations of Washingtonians. The Bowl has flourished through change and adversity. The owners recently purchased the adjacent property, which had been run-down and abandoned for many years, and will convert it into a bar with a theme similar to the restaurant. Ben's Chili Bowl also has opened two facilities at the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium.

As part of the fifty-year celebration, the Images of America Series has released this new book, "Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C., Landmark," which consists of a pictorial history of the Bowl, its owners, its patrons, and its community over the past 50 years. Tracey Gould Bennett, a D.C. journalist and historian wrote the book with assistance from Nizam Ali, who now operates the Bowl with his brother, Kamal. Bill Cosby wrote the Foreward to the volume. Cosby is the Bowl's most famous patron, and, a sign inside the restaurant announces, is the only person who eats in the Bowl for free.

The book, as it must, also celebrates the past 50 year history of the U Street community of which Ben's Chili Bowl is a part. When the Bowl opened in 1958, the U Street corridor was the home of a thriving African American music and entertainment district in a still segregated Washington, D.C. In 1968, with the riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr the U Street corridor was decimated. Ben's Chili Bowl remained open. It was allowed to stay open after the curfew and served both the police and firemen sent to control the riots and the members of the Stokley Carmichael's Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee which was headquartered across the street. In 1987, with the advent of construction for the Shaw Metro stop, business was reduced to a trickle as there was limited access to U Street. Ben's Chili Bowl remained open through a lean five years, usually with a staff of two. With the revitalization of U Street following the opening of the Metro and the recognition the Bowl has received, Ben's Chili Bowl is thriving as never before.

The opening chapter of Bennett's book shows photographs of U Street and the Bowl during the days of the late 1950s. Much of the book focuses on the Ali family which has operated the Bowl since its inception. Ben Ali, a West Indian immigrant from Trinidad, and his fiance Virginia Rollins, an African American from Chance, Virginia (100 miles south of Washington,D.C.) opened the Bowl with a $5,000 bank loan in 1958 and married in the face of laws then on the books prohibiting interracial marriages. They operated the Bowl until 2007 and then turned management of the business over to two of their sons, Nizam and Kamal who operate it today. The Ali family and its story figures prominently in this book.

Subsequent chapters of the book describe the famous patrons of the Bowl, from D.C. go-go singer Chuck Brown, to tennis star Serena Williams, to academic Cornel West, to Senator and presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, with innumerable celebrities in between. The Bowl's back room also has hosted political meetings of every stripe, from Congressional Republicans, who meet at the Bowl monthly, to the local D.C. Government, to many community activist groups. These meetings are documented in Bennett's book. But the most moving sections of the book are those which show the many everyday people of all races and walks of life who have patronized the Bowl regularly over the years. There is also an excellent gallery of photographs of employees of Ben's Chili Bowl -- some of whom have been with the Ali's for 30 years -- past and present.

From its simple origins, Ben's Chili Bowl has become a beloved and familiar part of Washington D.C. life with its chili-laced dogs, down-home atmosphere, African American heritage, and openness to pluralism. Ben's deserves to be celebrated on its 50th anniversary. I enjoyed recollecting the times I have had at the Bowl in reading this book.

Robin Friedman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcases a Washington D.C.-based business enterprise that opened as a hot dog and chili shop on U Street, December 8, 2008

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C. Landmark (Images of America) (Paperback)

Photography makes the past come alive and enhances any simply history of a community. Such is the basic premise of Arcadia Publishing's outstanding 'Images of America' series. A change of pace from the town histories, Tracey Gold Bennett and Nizam B. Ali's "Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 years of A Washington, D.C. Landmark" showcases a Washington D.C.-based business enterprise that opened as a hot dog and chili shop on U Street and became a renowned restaurant in the heart of the nation's capital. A characteristic of each and every one of these highly recommended 'Images of America' titles is that they are profusely illustrated with photographic images serving as perfect enhancements for the informed and informative historical texts that relate the histories that make these cited towns and cities (and restaurant) so notable additions to regional American History collections.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ben's Chili Bowl, September 23, 2008

By 

Betty King (MIAMI BEACH, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C. Landmark (Images of America) (Paperback)

This fascinating history of a DC landmark establishment gives one a true picture of the "Black Broadway" on U Street and how it has evolved over the years. A MUST for DC history buffs.