[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF HARLEM'S SOUTHERN STYLE FOOD ICON, CALVIN 
                                COPELAND

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life and legacy of 
another Harlem's Southern Home Style Restaurant owner and Master Chef, 
Calvin Copeland, who passed away on Thursday morning, August 23. As we 
remembered and recently celebrated the life of Sylvia Woods, The Queen 
of Soul Food--certainly for 50 years, Mr. Calvin Copeland and his famed 
Copeland's Restaurant & Reliable Catering was worthy and reigned with 
royalty on West 145th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway in 
the Village of West Harlem.
  Born in Virginia on May 1, 1925, Mr. Copeland headed north to live 
with an aunt who taught him her secret recipe to making finger licking 
good, fried chicken. Never one to forget his southern roots, Mr. 
Copeland proudly proclaimed Harlem as ``the place'' that made him 
famous by cooking and serving his delicious, and often catered, 
Southern foods and a little bit of live Jazz.
  Mr. Copeland started the business in 1958 as a catering service, one 
of Harlem's first, in a modest storefront on Broadway north of 148th 
Street. Mr. Copeland baked and decorated cakes and only had but one 
worker, Ms. Gertrude Clark, who is white and grew up on a farm in 
upstate New York did whatever else was needed, which often included 
preparing Southern fare. Quoted in a New York Times Article, she 
stated. ``I had never eaten collard greens in my life, and there I was 
making fried chicken and souse meat.'' Ms. Clark later became 
Copeland's banquet manager.
  Mr. Copeland eventually rented the store next door, opened up a hole 
in the wall, expanded the kitchen and started serving breakfast and 
lunch, cafeteria style. In 1980, As small business restaurateur, 
Copeland faced many challenges. In 1981, the restaurant burned to the 
ground and the insurance company went bankrupt before Mr. Copeland was 
able to recoup his losses. He lost everything, but the liquor. Back in 
the day Banks were not prone to lending money to restaurants located in 
Harlem, but because of the generosity of friends and special loyal 
worker, Copeland was able to reopen in grandeur. That very special 
worker was Gertrude Clark who mortgaged her property in upstate New 
York, which along with a small business loan helped her boss secure 
financing for a new location, on West 145th Street between Broadway and 
Amsterdam in Hamilton Heights.
  Calvin Copeland became an institution, when he moved his business to 
547 West 145th Street and opened Copeland's Restaurant & Bar Lounge and 
Reliable Catering Service, which was also a community buffet style 
diner. Copeland's became a destination for black families from as far 
South as Florida and the Carolinas and as far North as Buffalo, New 
York to Canada. Black entertainers, like Harry Belafonte and Stevie 
Wonder; and other notables would stop by when in town. Desmond Tutu, 
the retired Anglican archbishop, ate there once, and so did Muhammad 
Ali and the comedian Richard Pryor, who threw money in the air when he 
left the restaurant so as to distract the crowd that had surrounded 
him, Mr. Copeland stated that Natalie Cole was a regular. Michael 
Jackson came by once for take-out.
  One of my fondest memories was the eve of the Mayoral General 
Election in 1989 when David N. Dinkins and I campaigned at the subway 
stop on 145th Street and Broadway and ate at Copeland's Restaurant. I 
don't know if it was the lucky fried chicken, the collard greens or 
Copeland's corner, but the next day David N. Dinkins won the election 
and became the first African American and 106th Mayor of the City of 
New York.
  Copeland Restaurant was a place where you can catch Kathy Sharpton, 
Candi Staton, Lonnie Youngblood, Gloria Lynne and other great Jazz, 
Gospel and R&B artist perform. Where politicians held court and Harlem 
players and shakers hung out for breakfast. I miss those fried apples, 
chicken livers and cat fish, and that amazing banana pudding and sweet 
potato pie.
  Unfortunately, in 2007 due to the economic downturn and poor health, 
Mr. Copeland had to close. Mr. Copeland always dreamed that one day he 
would make a comeback to the food business that he loved so much. He 
was a great teacher and mentor to those in need of a trade to make a 
decent living, Mr. Copeland trained many into the restaurant business. 
Even people coming out of prison with no real job options could depend 
on him for a professional introduction into the culinary arts.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Calvin Copeland, a Harlem Mainstay was there when 
rioters burned and looted stores in 1964, when crack cocaine and HIV/
AIDS tore families apart, when brownstones were for sale for $50,000 
and few outsiders dared move in. He endured fire and financial ruin, 
yet each time he picked up the pieces and prospered, as bold and 
resilient as the neighborhood around him. If he could be the master of 
his fate, he would live out his days in Harlem. Please join me and my 
colleagues as we salute another Harlem Icon, Mr. Calvin Copeland who 
has contributed to the greatness in which Harlem is known.

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