Harlem mourns the death of another legend today. Sylvia Woods, the founder of the renowned Sylvia's Restaurant, has passed away. Hip Hop Wired reports:
Sylvia Woods, owner of the New York City eatery, Sylvia's restaurant, has died, she was 86.
According to a statement released by the family, Woods passed away
this afternoon at her Westchester County home, surrounded by loved one.
“Sylvia gallantly battled Alzheimer's for the past several years, but
never once lost her loving smile,” read the statement.
Upon hearing the news, the Rev. Al Sharpton
offered fond memories of the owner's historical location. “Sylvia's has
been more than a restaurant, it has been a meeting place for black
America,” he said.
Woods and her late husband, Herbert, opened the restaurant, which started out as a 36-seat lunch counter,
in 1962. “I know I had to make it or else my mama was gonna' lose her
farm. So I gave it all that I had to give,” Woods one said in an
interview of borrowing money from her mother, who mortgaged the family
farm, to get her the funds.
Over the next several decades Sylvia's, located on 126th St. and
Lenox Ave., has grown to become a tourist staple, serving several public
figures, including President Obama.
Retiring in 2006,Woods expanded her business to include bestselling
cookbooks and a line of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and candied yams. She
is survived by four children, and several grandchildren.
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