[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BEN'S CHILI BOWL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of SOUTH CAROLINA

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, fifty years ago, on 
August 22, 1958, newlyweds Virginia and Ben Ali opened what is regarded 
now as a culinary landmark in Washington, D.C., Ben's Chili Bowl. The 
Ali family encountered numerous hardships on the way to establishing 
this neighborhood restaurant as a cultural symbol of camaraderie, 
tolerance and endurance. Ben's Chili Bowl became famous by consistently 
providing quality food for half a century such as their famous chili, 
half-smoke sausages, hamburgers and milkshakes. Over the years, the 
menu has expanded to include vegetarian options and a full breakfast. 
Celebrities such as Bill Cosby and Denzel Washington have visited the 
establishment, raising its national profile.
  Ben's Chili Bowl is now one of the most successful, longest-operating 
African-American owned businesses in America. The restaurant is 
expanding with Ben's II opening next door to their longtime 
establishment along with a restaurant located in the Washington 
Nationals' new stadium. Further, a book commemorating the 50th 
anniversary of Ben's Chili Bowl will be released in August 2008.
  Ben and Virginia Ali were inducted into the District of Columbia Hall 
of Fame in 1991, and while they have retired, their sons Kamal and 
Nizam are successfully carrying the family's business into the future. 
Congratulations to Ben, Virginia, Kamal and Nizam Ali for their 
family's work ethic, dedication and commitment to making Ben's Chili 
Bowl an American symbol of small business success for the past 50 
years.

                          ____________________