Sylvia Woods, ‘Queen of Soul Food’, dies at 86

By Katrina Jones Jul 20th, 2012 ( No Comment )

New York: Sylvia Woods, founder of the famed Harlem soul food restaurant Sylvia’s, has died on Thursday at age of 86 at her home in Mount Vernon, N.Y., her granddaughter Tren’ness Woods-Black said.

She had been dealing with Alzheimer’s disease for the past few years.

Woods and her husband Herbert started Sylvia’s Restaurant in 1962. The restaurant became a fixture, with tourists and locals coming there for cornbread, ribs, collard greens, fried chicken and other staples of Southern cooking, The Associated Press reported.

Woods-Black said her grandmother had officially stepped down from running the restaurant when she was 80, leaving it in the hands of her children and grandchildren.