Funeral held for Sylvia Woods, 'Queen of soul food'

Sylvia Woods was remembered yesterday as Harlem's "queen of soul food," who transformed a tiny eatery into a community landmark that drew tourists from around the world.

In addition to her cooking skills at Sylvia's Restaurant, "she made you feel right at home," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a memorial service at Abyssinian Baptist Church.

"You sat down at the table and you were part of the family," Bloomberg added. "She is a 100 percent, real-life New York City story."

Woods died Thursday at 86 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past few years.

Sylvia's Restaurant started out with a few booths and a six-stool counter. It expanded into several dining rooms and a catering hall over the years, but the counter remained.

"All people of all walks of life" came to the restaurant, former Mayor David Dinkins said during yesterday's service, calling it "a home away from home," where Woods was "the matriarch of the community."

Before the service began, a dozen of the restaurant's chefs, in their work clothes, touched the casket as they walked past. A 51-member choir in red robes with gold collars sang hymns, and ushers wore top hats and long-tailed tuxedos.

Stephanie McDaniels, 48, of Harlem, said she got a job as a baker at Sylvia's about three years ago after being laid off from her job in a cafeteria at a financial firm. "I never thought in a million years that I would work here," she said.

After the service, the casket was to be taken through the streets of Harlem in a horse-drawn carriage, stopping at Sylvia's, the Apollo Theater and other spots.

The Reverend Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy at a funeral service at 11 a.m. today at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, where Woods lived. Her burial will be in South Carolina.