'Queen of soul food' Sylvia Woods dies at 86

New York, July 20, (ANI): Sylvia Woods, the owner of Harlem's famed Sylvia's restaurant died on Thursday afternoon. She was 86.

News of her death broke just as Mayor Bloomberg was paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of "Sylvia's" at a gala reception at Gracie Mansion.

"We lost a legend today," the New York Daily News quoted the mayor as saying.

"Generations of family and friends have come together at what became a New York institution," he said.

New York's legendary "Queen of Soul Food" Woods, whose iconic restaurant drew dignitaries and ordinary folk from all over the world to Harlem to taste her fried chicken, was surrounded by loved ones when she lost her battle with Alzheimer's, the Woods family said.

Tributes quickly began pouring in.

"Sylvia's has been more than a restaurant, it has been a meeting place for black America," the Rev. Al Sharpton, who recalled dining there with everyone from President Obama to Caroline Kennedy, said.

Rep. Charles Rangel said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of a friend.

"She was a dynamic, warm and kind woman whom the entire Harlem community will miss," he said.

Rangel called the eatery, where he recently celebrated his squeaker primary win, "a magical place that brought the community together."

"Sylvia's may have been famous nationally and internationally, but its soul has always remained in Harlem," he said.

Former Mayor David Dinkins called her an icon.

"She'll be missed. Not just because of the wonderful business she ran and the great food, but because of her contributions to the community," he said.

Longtime customers began gathering at the restaurant to pay tribute.

"She always made people feel like she was part of the family," Jill Ferguson, who said she'd been coming for chicken and waffles since 1975, said.

Woods, an ambitious and charismatic beautician from South Carolina, opened "Sylvia's" in 1962, buying the 35-seat luncheonette where she worked as a waitress.

She and her late husband and childhood sweetheart, Herbert, borrowed the money from Sylvia's mother, who mortgaged the farm in South Carolina where Sylvia was born and raised to stake her daughter's dream. (ANI)