Sylvia Woods (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 2012), founder of Sylvia’s in Harlem..
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Posted By: Victorio Loubriel on July 20, 2016 My View From Harlem – Sylvia Woods (February 2, 1926 – July 19, 2012), founder of Sylvia’s in Harlem.. I remember when Sylvia was called home on July 19, 2012 and felt I lost a member of my own family. I thought about her yesterday, may she rest in peace... I was brought up on foods that were indigenous to Black folk. Most of you are familiar with these dinner foods: fried chicken, potato salad, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, biscuits or rolls and, of course, collard greens. For breakfast, the selection would include eggs with cheese, grits, home fries, scrapple, sausage, pork bacon and biscuits. When I am not eating at home, I often end up eating at one of my favorite soul food restaurants. Now don’t get me wrong as Harlem is a diverse community, Sylvia’s also had its Caribbean flare as well. Sylvia’s was more than just a local restaurant, it was an extension of homes, family and Harlem community. On Sunday, after church many families had their Sunday meal together at Sylvia’s. It was not uncommon for some families to ask if their tables could be link together as a community. The talk around the tables was generally about what Pastor had to say at church, sports, our race of people, who had passed and some politics. If the conversations became to heated as politics and sports will do that, someone would say, “this is a family gathering and the lord’s day” and everyone would move of the subjects. Typically, there would always be two types of people with the each family, the new borns’ and the elderly. The elderly were always accorded their respect for laying the foundations of our families, the struggles and price they paid for our very beings. It was very common place to have people from other tables coming over and paying respects to the elderly. It was always most heartening to see them smile and as if they were praising God for giving them this day. It was also common to see each family bow their heads in prayer before the family meal began and if Sylvia herself was out of the kitchen, she would come over and join the families in prayer. Dubbed the Queen of Soul Food, Sylvia Woods was born Sylvia Pressley in Hemingway, South Carolina. Her father died when she was three days old, and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. Enterprising and hardworking throughout her life, she earned her beautician’s license at night while attending junior high school. While a teenager Pressley moved to New York City. Childhood sweetheart Herbert Woods followed her, and they were married in 1944. Living in Harlem and tired of commuting to the Brooklyn factory where she worked, Sylvia began working at Johnson’s Luncheonette in central Harlem in 1954. Seven years later she and her husband purchased the luncheonette for $20,000, 10% of which came from her savings, and the rest borrowed from her mother, who mortgaged her South Carolina farm. In 1962 she changed the name of her business to Sylvia’s. Although the restaurant was highly regarded by Harlem residents and visiting performers such as James Brown, its first major publicity to the outside world came with Gael Greene’s 1979 New York magazine piece “Harlem on My Mind.” From that point Sylvia’s Restaurant became a destination for tourists from around the world. Sylvia’s boasted a host of customers prominent in entertainment and politics including Roberta Flack, Chris Rock, Sidney Poitier, Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, Grandmaster Flash, and Muhammad Ali. Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel was a regular customer by the 1980s and in 1993 he persuaded President Bill Clinton to visit. The Clintons subsequently invited Woods to the White House their last Christmas in office (2000), and former President Clinton spoke at her memorial. In 2007 Senator Barack Obama of Illinois first visited with Al Sharpton. All of us have our very own versions of Sylvia’s in our cities all over the country. I don’t care what the names may be, the feeling of family and the food was always the same – I know, I’ve eaten in many.. Here are some of the names and if I’ve missed some, please feel free to add yours.. Pearl’s place in the south side of Chicago Ms. Tootsie’s n Philly Wings and prayers in Pittsburgh Florida Avenue Grill in D.C. Molly’s in St. Louis Angie’s in Cleveland.. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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