Black Wealth and All Else Black and Women's History New York Global.Biz Feb/Mar. 2020

SYLVIA'S 1962 HARLEM'S
FAMOUS OLDEST RESTAURANT
DINING AND ENTERTAINMENT FASHION
New Year's Day, January 1, 2020, was a surreal celebration at
Harlem's busy Sylvia's restaurant, after I joined my son my out-ofstate
son and his guest headed to Sylvia's. Arriving an hour and a
half before closing, had much to do Sylvia's typical
accommodations, as the only Black owned Harlem restaurant
opened beyond 7 pm, on that holiday.
My son barely omitted yummy words while devouring his
steak and exotic seasoned tender Black Eyes peas. It earned his
high marks, as his best New Year's eve meal in years since my
mom/his grandmother served him Black Eye peas, over 20 years
ago. He believes eating Black Eye peas on January 1, brings good
luck, as Rosetta Tyus, my mom/his grandmother told him, as
similarly told her children as a Black American tradition. After he
insisted we'd sample his Black Eye peas, I slightly regretted not
ordering them and other items listed on Sylvia's enticing
reasonable-priced menu. Continental cuisine dishes were as
plentiful as this venue's former soul food's listings on it's
seemingly, fresh off the press classy menu. I silently envisioned
quickly returning to Sylvia, to order shrimps and grits, and some
other dishes.
Sylvia's pretty green tasty vegan collard greens, fluffy firm
and cheesy macaroni and corn-bread requiring no butter, emerged
as my best. among best, since eating cornbread at another famous
Black restaurant, years ago.
Before long, my son detected how I had begun secretly
exploiting what kept me eating more of this restaurant's
cornbread. "Mom, it looks like that's all you came here for, you
already had two slices." My son told me. We all laughed.
I suggested they'd help themselves because Sylvia's cornbread
is free. As he and his guests quickly placed more cornbread on
their plates, I explained that Sylvia's thoughtful and handsome
aged 40 something Black male, wasted no time returning with
another cornbread basket, which occurred after he said it was free,
because I asked him how much Sylvia charges for more
cornbread? Why would you do that Mom, knowing I'm treating
you and you're not paying the tab?
Momentarily, his guest and I peered at him eating another
slice of cornbread. Nor did we avoid laughing when he came up
for air, announcing. "I'm glad you finally told us about Sylvia's
free cornbread." By then, the jokes was on him.
Blast of the past reminisces about Sylvia's past 58 years entails
packed-house dining rooms, especially on weekends and after
Apollo Theater shows, two blocks over on 125th Street in Harlem,
since its pre-Harlem Renaissance years through 1977. That was
when the original Apollo, was New York City's famous, top,
difficult to rival music and comedy home to talented amateurs and
fabulous Black jazz and R&B stars. Harlem residents among
visitors surrounded the Apollo with its plethora of Black sports
legends, business owners, politicians, academians and clergy
included, on any given day. On a 1960s Easter Monday, together
with my NJ friends, still celebrating by standing in front of the
Apollo theater, we not only saw the Temptations, but recklessly
ran back stage and upstairs and met Eddie Kendricks, David
Ruffin and the Temptations. Outside, we were among
photographers and several people people gazing and admiring
those great Apollo posters and marquee
Meanwhile, cozy, sought after Sylvia's Restaurant's spirit of
the Apollo presence, before it closed in 1977 and 33 years since
the late Percy Sutton, Inner-City Broadcasting, Borough of
Manhattan President and noted U.S. Congressman Charlie
Rangel, revived the Apollo from its 125th Street's bleakness
enduring six years of it's blighted near future demised.
Amid the Apollo's six year closing by the 1980s, more
tourists and locals alternately flocked to internationally
acclaimed Sylvia's awe-inspiring restaurant's gathering venue.
Some as hopefuls endeavoring to meet or spot top Black TV and
radio news personalities, actors, attorneys, authors, clergy,
general contractors, civic leaders, educators, health
practitioners, journalists, and notably President Obama, Rev. Al
Sharpton, Congressman Charles Rangel, Mayor Dinkins,
President Nelson Mandela, Ambassador Caroline Kennedy,
Whoopi Goldberg, Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, P. Diddy
Combs, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, plus famous artists Bruno
Mars and Doug E. Fresh, and NYCs Mayor Koch, Bloomberg
and DeBlasio have been spotted at Sylvia, added to its
attractions.
Sylvia's first modest, decor equipped with two booths and
six bar stools, nonetheless, enhanced the Apollo's spirit, whether
closed or opened. Approximately 20 years later, its expanded
properties from Corner of 126th to 127th St., on Malcolm X
Blvd maintains it cozy and sometimes too-packed much larger
facility, where Sylvia's friendly wait staff dashing from one
room to the other, is a bit fascinating.
Is it too late for Sylvia to establish franchises or become a
City landmark? Preferably, this reviewer believes that Sylvia's,
the only Black-owned oldest restaurant. listed as one of the Top
29, dining rooms in New York City, as Harlem's world-famous
oldest Black-owned restaurant, built from the ground up, and
continues operating within three generational family members,
still maintaining Harlem's Queen of Soul Food persona.
By: Irma Tyus-Mitchell
Rev Al Sharpton
and Chaplin &
Media Producer
Basha Riddick at
NAN House of
Justice
NEWYORK GLOBAL.BIZ ...Black Wealth and all Else
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