Carole Darden-Lloyd

Carole Darden-Lloyd and her husband, Edward Lloyd have been married for 46 years and share one son and three grandchildren.  Carole was born in Newark, NJ and grew up in neighboring Montclair.  She received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, followed by a MSW from Fordham University.  She first worked in the field of foster care and then moved on to become a child therapist at a residential treatment for severely disturbed pre-adolescent and adolescent boys where she remained for 10 years.

In 1976, she made an unexpected and necessary career change to manage her family’s real estate concern.  This unexpected turn of events allowed her the time and flexibility to complete the long-held dream of writing a cookbook with her sister, Norma.  The book, “Spoonbread and Strawberry Wine” was originally published by Doubleday in 1977 and remains in print.  Unique at that time, it spanned over a century of African American culture and history through exploration of their family history through recipes, reminiscences and old photographs. It has received multiple accolades and in 2019, was included in Southern Living Magazine’s list of the one hundred best cookbooks ever written.

Carole is currently retired from real estate, but remains a part of Spoonbread, Inc., her sister’s restaurant and catering business.  Her pertinent Board experience was for Community Access, Inc., a multifaceted organization devoted to the care of the mental ill homeless through innovative housing, job training, advocacy and mental health services.  Her advisory responsibilities included consulting with supervisory staff on supervision techniques and troubleshooting at “Howie the Harp”, a division of CA that trained recovering consumers (clients) in peer supervision.  In 2011, she received that organization’s Humanitarian Award for her 20 years of Board service.  While no longer serving on that Board, she remains an avid supporter of their work, as well as of organizations serving the needs of children, both nationally and globally.