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Family First: Marriage, Challenges, and Prosperity:
The first of seven children, Mahaboob Ben Ali was born in 1927 in San Juan, Trinidad. In 1945, eighteen year old Ali immigrated to the United States with the determination to create success for himself. He worked at several restaurants to support his dream of becoming a dentist. An accident that left him with a broken back temporarily derailed these plans and forced him to reassess his future.
Virginia Ali (nee Rollins) was born on a family farm in rural Chance, Virginia in 1933. After graduating from Virginia Union University, Virginia moved to Northwest Washington DC in 1951. Her aunt provided her with a home as well as a job as a bookkeeper and teller at the Industrial Bank of Washington at 11th and U Streets, the only African American bank in the city. It was at the teller window that Virginia and Ben's paths intersected.
First a customer, then a suitor, Ben Ali's relationship with Virginia developed in conjunction with his new life. Unable to complete his dental school training due to his injured back, Ben needed a new direction, and he looked within himself for the answer. Taking his experience and knowledge gleaned from restaurant work and combining it with an epiphany about American's need for more spice in their tomato sauces, Ben made the decision to open a restaurant.
The closing of a pool hall in what once was the Minnehaha Theater, provided the perfect location. Taking out a $5,000 bank loan, Ben and Virginia went to work. They covered their hotdogs and half-smokes using a secret chili recipe which gave their restaurant a unique twist on an already popular American food. |