‘Top Chef’ Fan Favorite Has a Terminal Illness But Is Making the Most of Her Final Days

A Dream in Vivid Color

Fatima Ali cancer
IMAGE BY: Instagram/cheffati

For nearly a year, Ali struggled with her desire to cook and her inability to fully embrace its preparation. “I know that my love for food and cooking is so strong inside me that even cancer can’t cut it down,” she said. “I dream in vivid color — of pad thai and pastina and, in my haze of medical-marijuana-induced munchies, I chow down, relishing every bite.”

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