For many Americans who grew up in immigrant households, food is and remains a symbol of love. The sights, smells, and sounds of a warm kitchen are hallmarks of a shared kinship, of a common ground, of family.

For Fatima Ali, whom most Americans knew from her turn on “Top Chef,” food was a passion and a calling, a way for the Pakistan native to draw her family and friends together from far-off lands, and a way to communicate that love and sameness. There is a little less warmth in the world’s kitchens since Ali died last week, at age 29, from a rare form of cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma.