Ali is a culinary scientist, author, and co-founder of Pilot R+D, a culinary development company based in Northern California. Ali is a unique hybrid of scientist and chef, having both obtained a Ph.D. in food biochemistry and collaborated with several of the top restaurants in the country including Eleven Madison Park, Benu, the Restaurant at Meadowood, and the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. After teaching culinary science for three years to students at the Culinary Institute of America, Ali translated his knack for cutting to the core of how cooking works into a book titled "Ingredient: Unveiling the Essential Elements of Food," published by Ecco in September 2016.