Lloyd's Carrot Cake co-founder Betty Campbell-Adams has died

Lloyd's Carrot Cake makes one of the most treasured sweet treats found in New York City. But nothing was as sweet as the woman who kept the legacy strong all these years, Betty Campbell-Adams.

The woman who co-founded the business in an East Harlem basement apartment has died.

"We are deeply saddened to share the news of the sudden passing of our beloved leader, Betty Campbell-Adams," according to a statement posted late Friday evening on Lloyd's Carrot Cake's Facebook page. "She was a phenomenal woman, and her commitment to serve was unmatched. This was epitomized by the community that loved her so much."

Lloyd's Carrot Cake moved out of the couple's apartment and into a small storefront on Broadway, just across from Van Cortlandt Park, in the mid-1980s. Intended to serve commercial customers initially, it was hard for those living and working around that bakery to not pick up those amazing smells emanating from the ovens. And before long, Lloyd's began selling cakes — and slices — to anyone walking in.

"People walk in and go, 'Oh, it smells so good in here,'" Campbell-Adams told The Riverdale Press in 2016 when Lloyd's was celebrating its 30th anniversary. "You know how many times I've heard that? I say I'm going to change the name to, 'Oh, It Smells So Good in Here.'"

Although the business is named after her late husband, Lloyd, Campbell-Adams became synonymous with dessert. Lines would form outside its 6087 Broadway location when Thanksgiving and the Christmas seasons rolled around, and Lloyd's Lexington Avenue store in East Harlem would stay equally as busy.

But Campbell-Adams did more than simply sweeten many a meal throughout the city. She also was the longtime marketing director for Time-Warner Cable in New York, helping to launch such products as video-on-demand and pay-per-view before such offerings were household phrases. 

She also spent a lot of time giving back, with groups like the Child Welfare Organizing Project, as well as a group that gathers to protect wildlife in New York City, Wild Metro.

Campbell-Adams told BronxNet host Gary Axelbank last June that she considers Lloyd's not to be simply across from Van Cortlandt Park, but part of Van Cortlandt Park.

"I feel that we are one in the same with the park," Campbell-Adams said, during an interview that was part of the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance Picnic in Your Living Room gathering. "We have supported the Van Cortlandt track club, we have supported the colleges when they come for their cross-country meets. We feel that we are a part of the park."

And Campbell-Adams said she made it her mission to never let money get in the way of enjoying some of the nice things in life, like carrot cake.

"If you come in and want a $15.25 cake, and you only have $13, we're fine with that," she told Axelbank. "We're good with that. Although I don't want to promote that," Campbell-Adams added, with a laugh.

"This is very sad news," tweeted John DeSio, former press chief for Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. "Betty was a great person who produced an amazing product, and was always ready to help you make an event or progam better with the inclusion of her cakes and cupcakes. I'm really sorry to hear of her passing."

Campbell-Adams is survived by her two children, Brandon and Lilka.