Lloyd’s marks 30 years of carrot cake

It’s easy to tell when you are close to Lloyd’s Carrot Cake. The decadent smell of the shop’s famous treats has served as a siren for the northwest Bronx, drawing patrons to the iconic 6087 Broadway storefront since 1986.

“People walk in and go, ‘Oh, it smells so good in here.’ You know how many times I’ve heard that?” said Betty Campbell-Adams, the owner of Lloyd’s Carrot Cake. “I say I’m going to change the name to ‘Oh, It Smells So Good in Here.’”

This is a landmark year for Ms. Campbell-Adams. As it celebrates its 30th anniversary, the establishment is getting ready to open a juice bar next door. The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, April 9.

With planning, design and recipes on her plate, Ms. Campbell-Adams recently found the time to reflect on the tastes, fragrances and memories of the past 30 years. 

“What comes to mind is our humble beginnings,” she said.

Before Ms. Campbell-Adams and her late husband Lloyd Adams opened their iconic storefront in Riverdale, the couple spent evenings in a basement apartment in East Harlem with a pizza oven baking homemade cakes for wholesale distribution. By day, Ms. Campbell-Adams worked as the director of marketing for Time Warner Cable. Mr. Adams was a social worker who started his days delivering cakes to restaurants, coffee shops and other clients. Business boomed and Mr. Adams quit his day job to focus on the cakes.

“He realized he needed to devote full-time to the business because it really picked up. There was no way he could just deliver in the morning,” Ms. Campbell-Adams said. 

Their East Harlem home store, which opened a juice and smoothie branch last August, has remained popular with Manhattan residents. Mr. Adams passed away in 2007, and shortly after, Ms. Campbell-Adams took over the stores full-time. She described her job as “a labor of love.” During her time operating Lloyd’s, the love has been reciprocated manifold. 

“People are always anxious to tell you how far they’ve come to get this cake, who told them about Lloyd’s Carrot Cake and where they’re taking it to,” she said.