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Ben Ali, Founder Of D.C.'s Ben's Chili Bowl, Dies

October 8, 2009
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Ben Ali, the founder of Washington's famous Ben's Chili Bowl restaurant, has died. He was 82.
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Ben Ali, the founder of Washington's famous Ben's Chili Bowl restaurant, has died. He was 82.

WASHINGTON (AP) Ben Ali, the founder of Washington's famous Ben's Chili Bowl restaurant, has died. He was 82. Restaurant manager Maurice Harcum says Ali died of natural causes Wednesday night at his home.

The restaurant was founded in 1958 on U Street, then known as "Black Broadway" for drawing performers that included Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole.

More recently, Bill Cosby has been a favorite guest at the restaurant, and President Barack Obama stopped by in January.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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