By Shakir Reshamwala

After wowing America with his unique pizzas, a Kuwait-born pizzaiolo is back to explore opportunities in a place he still has fond memories of. Ali Haider is an award-winning chef who runs two halal restaurants in California. 786 Degrees has been named as the best restaurant in California by USA Today, with delectable creations like Bombay Tikka Masala, Istanbul and Bulgogi Gangnam Style winning rave reviews. That’s not to say his pizzas are not authentic — Ali learned his trade in Naples, the birthplace of pizza.

The former Lamborghini spokesmodel and 2003 Mr India-America has won a host of awards for his traditional and fusion pies, served from his pizzerias in Sun Valley and Pasadena. 786 Degrees is the highest-rated pizzeria in the US with more than 5,000 5-star reviews on Yelp. Chef Ali, 42, also makes frequent appearances on Food Network and Hulu. An eight-time national and international award-winning pizzaiolo, he is also a member of United States Pizza Team and a Guinness record holder for his pizzas.

Chef Pizzaiolo Ali Haider is flying high in the pizza world.

Chef Ali’s restaurants are also popular with Kuwaiti students in Los Angeles craving halal food, and he has built friendships with many of them over the years. They remained in touch with Ali after graduating, and are now flocking to taste his pies in Kuwait during his short stay in the country.

Chef Ali serves his award-winning Bombay Tikka Masala pizza.

Born to an Iraqi father and Indian mother in Kuwait, Ali was raised and schooled here, before he left for the US for higher studies at the age of 18, eventually settling there and becoming a naturalized US citizen. But he retained an affinity for Kuwait, and when he decided to take 786 Degrees global, this is where he came. Not content with stimulating palates, Chef Ali aims to stimulate minds and bring together his deep understanding of hospitality and take it to the next level.

Serving his signature Neapolitan-style pizzas at a friend’s pizzeria in downtown Kuwait City, Ali is aiming to replicate the concept of his successful eateries in the US. “Food has always been my passion, and I had a waistline to prove it too. Nobody trusts a skinny chef!” Chef Ali told Kuwait Times during a balmy Friday evening, dimples flashing. With his trademark pies influenced by Asian and Mediterranean cuisines, he said he is ready to take his first step towards his vision of expanding his successful model throughout the Gulf by collaborating with the right strategic partner. “The idea is you are not serving pizza — you are serving love and respect,” he stressed.

Ali doesn’t want to go the chain restaurant way like other breakthrough food carts that became immensely successful; he wants 786 Degrees to be a place people will take out time to drive to and enjoy the offerings on the menu in a cozy setting. “Many restaurants went too big too fast and crashed, which is why I’m hesitant to take that route,” he said. Instead, Chef Pizzaiolo Ali wants the journey to be one where every moment is savored — winning hearts one pizza at a time internationally. And what better place than Kuwait, a food-lovers’ paradise whose sophisticated patrons are willing to give all comers a chance to shine.