I’ve been busy but I couldn’t let another day go by without acknowledging my appreciation and admiration for Sylvia Woods.
The world recently bid farewell to the matriarch of the first family of soul food, Sylvia of Sylvia’s restaurant and soul food product line. As you may or may not have learned, Mrs. Woods transitioned out of this life earlier this month after 86 years of service.
I truly admire Mrs. Woods for being a dreamer, and a doer. So many of us have dreams, but very few actually put in the work and faith that’s required to birth that dream into reality. I’ve heard people actually say “
Sylivia’s wasn’t the best soul food I ever had”. Maybe not for them, but she was the one who believed in herself and her dream enough to have them come check out what she was up to, and that’s saying a lot.
I did have the pleasure of visiting the former Atlanta location of Sylvia’s. But what I find most impressive is the product line found in grocery stores from coast to coast. A canned vegetable line, a variety of spices, mixes, dessert products. Honey, this lady was the beez knees. With her enterprising spirit, Sylvia has done what many people only wish of doing – She left an inheritance to her children’s children’s children. Can you get any more honorable than that? And from the looks of this pic, Mrs. Woods was fly too.
My thanks to Sylvia is not just for her contribution to my culinary heritage, but also for her huge dreaming spirit. I’m sure this is exactly what Marianne Williamson meant in her famous
poem – She let her light shine giving others permission to do the same. A million thanks to you, Mrs. Woods.
