Edolphus Towns: “Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem is known as one of this country's greatest restaurants which has a selection of…”

“Sylvia's Restaurant of Harlem is known as one of this country's greatest restaurants which has a selection of mouth-watering dishes that each time will leave you wanting more. This is one of the best-known restaurants in New York and serves its patrons good southern cooking with a dash of Sylvia's secret seasoning. Sylvia Woods worked at Johnson's Luncheonette as a waitress. Her opportunity came when the owner offered to sell her the business. She purchased the original luncheonette by borrowing $20,000 from her mother who had to mortgage her farm in Hemingway, SC. The establishment, which consists of not only the restaurant but catering and banquet facilities, was started in July of 1962. back then the menu consisted of very simple things; pigtails, lima beans, hamhocks, and neck bones. There was only one cook on staff and they picked their food up in the trunk of a car. In 1981, they bought an adjoining building on Lenox Avenue, renovated it and turned it into a dining room. In 1992, Sylvia's son, Van Woods, launched a line of Sylvia's Soul Food Products.”