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Posted 02 October 2013 - 04:32 PM Several years ago, I was at a party way out in a Virginia exurb. My friend and I were introduced to a lovely young couple, Jyotika and Nizam, and the conversation unfolded like this: <Jyotika> "Did you say your last name was Rockwell?" "Yes." "Was your mom by any chance a teacher?" "Yes, she taught first and second grade in Montgomery County for 30 years." "Oh my gosh! Your mom was my teacher! I loved her!" Wow, it always means so much to me when that happens, especially in a completely random situation such as this. We all continued talking, and as so often happens, "The" Washingtonian question came up. <Me> "So what do you do, Nizam?" "My family owns a restaurant in Washington, and I work there." "Really? Which restaurant?" "Ben's Chili Bowl." "Are you Nizam ALI?!" <He looked at me funny.> "Yes, how do you know this?" "Oh my gosh! ...." --- Nizam is the youngest of 3 boys. The middle brother, Kamal, is 8 years older, and started carrying the torch of running Ben's Chili Bowl right after school - he has been there for over 25 years now. Nizam worked at Ben's growing up, but started full-time about 15 years ago. The eldest brother, Sage, was a musician and Lived in Los Angeles for over 25 years. Sage and his wife moved back to DC about 3 years ago to take care of their mom after Ben Ali, founder of Ben's, passed on in 2009. All 3 brothers, and both Kamal's and Sage's wives, are now working for the business. As to what's next: Ben's Chili Bowl is opening in Rosslyn in the old Ray's Hellburger space at 1725 Wilson Blvd., hopefully by the beginning of 2014. After that? H Street (!) and National Airport should be coming online in the middle of the year. On October 12th (10 days from now), Ben's is hosting the World Chili Eating Championship at 3 PM at the Taste Of DC, on their main stage. There will also be a military competition at 2:30 PM. For the 3 PM competition, the main eaters from MLE (Major League Eating) will be there, including Tim "Eater X" Janus who last year ate TWO GALLONS of their Chili Con Carne in 6 minutes! Also in the competition will be Sonja "The Black Widow" Thomas and many others. At Next Door (the restaurant adjacent to Ben's with the *humongous* bar), on Thursday, October 10th at 6 PM, they will be introducing a new beer called U St. Brew. It's a collaboration between Nizam, Chip Ellis at the Howard Theatre, and Stephen Demczuk at Baltimore-Washington Beerworks (home of Raven Beer). So it will be exclusive for a bit at Next Door and the Howard Theatre, and then will be open for other bars and restaurants to sell. $.25 from every glass will go to the Ben's Chili Bowl Foundation, and $.25 will go to the Howard Theatre Foundation. --- Nizam's "official" biography is below, but I'd like to add a personal note. In 2011, my beloved mom passed away, and both Jyotika and Nizam came to her service. They didn't make some token appearance; even though they knew virtually nobody there, they stayed for well over an hour, chatting and meeting my mom's acquaintances, as the Rockwell family was tugged this way and that, greeting other visitors. I will never forget this gesture of respect and kindness they showed to my mom, and I hope I can show equal respect to Mr. Ben Ali with this interview with Nizam. Thank you in advance, Nizam, for being here with us! Everyone, please welcome Nizam, and feel free to chat about everything from the 1968 riots, to Bill Cosby and Barrack Obama, to the 2014 openings. Here's the Wikipedia entry for Ben's Chili Bowl & Ben's Next Door --- Nizam Ben Ali Ben's Chili Bowl & Ben's Next Door A Washington, DC native, Nizam has been working in his family's historic restaurant, Ben's Chili Bowl, since he was a child. Opened in 1958 on U Street by his parents Ben and Virginia Ali, it was there that he learned basic fundamental business principles including customer service, business and work ethics, and giving back to the community. Nizam attended the University of Virginia, where he received a B.A. in Sociology. Here, he fell in love with radio, deejaying on three different stations simultaneously. He also had internships at Washington's WKYS, WHUR, and BET, which led to paid positions at the latter two stations. It was these experiences that Nizam would later call upon to help him market and publicize Ben's. After college, Nizam spent the next year working at "The Bowl." Looking for what he thought must be an easier career option, he began applying to law schools. Three years later, he received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law; after passing the bar, he began practicing law in Maryland. Less than a year later, after working with his family to plan and execute a 40th anniversary celebration for both Ben's Chili Bowl and his parents, Nizam rediscovered the love that so many people had for the Chili Bowl and decided to return full-time to Ben's. Since then, he and his brothers Kamal and Sage, and their wives, have worked tirelessly to not only continue the legacy that his parents created, but to take Ben's to the next level. Over the years, Nizam has been integral in the success and growth of the Ben's brand. He has helped open Ben's locations at Nationals Park and FedEx Field, and is on track to open 4 other locations in the next 12 months. He and his family have also enjoyed success with their restaurant and bar Ben's Next Door, a Ben's Chili Bowl gift shop, and their online store where customers can order Ben's favorites to be shipped to any of the 50 states. Nizam's other rewarding accomplishments have been the creation of a Ben's Chili Bowl smartphone app, partnering with Cultural Tourism DC to open DC's first neighborhood visitors center above Next Door, and co-authoring the book Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington DC Landmark. Additionally, Nizam worked hand-in hand with The George Washington University's Gelman Library, who has now archived all of his family's historic papers and Ben's Chili Bowl artifacts. Of particular note, Nizam is very proud of his participation in the FBI Citizen's Academy at the Washington Field Office and his stay on the USS Enterprise as part of the Navy's Distinguished Visitor's Program. Nizam currently serves as Chairman of the nonprofit Think Local FIrst, Vice Chairman of The Ben's Chili Bowl Foundation, Secretary of Destination DC, and is a former board member of Teaching For Change. He is married to Jyotika Vazirani, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and psychotherapist, and the two have a wonderful 8 year old son
