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“font-family: Verdana;”>“St. Louis is in my soul, and soul food is in my blood,” said Sweetie Pie’s owner Robbie Montgomery as she introduced audiences to her world in the premiere episode of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The show debuts Oct. 15 on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>St. Louis has been on standby for weeks, eager to see what light the city lands in thanks to the antics of a host of characters who team up to add a special flavor to the St. Louis restaurant mix.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The fact that they get up and go to work every morning will automatically give them an edge over the current reality show roster of professional baller baby mamas and faux rich housewives.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>To see the restaurant in action from the inside out will indeed be refreshing for all audiences. Through Montgomery and company, St. Louisans in particular will see themselves in the characters that come together each day to treat the city to Sweetie Pie’s trademark comfort food.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I never wanted to be frying chicken for a living,” Tim Norman confessed to the cameras as he reflected on the years he spent as his mother’s right-hand man. “I thought I would be a rock star, singer … even race car driver before this.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Even still, he carries on with the business of Sweetie Pie’s as if he was born to do it. He and Montgomery banter about every little detail. But anyone can tell it’s all worth it and their love for each other is part of what keeps them going.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Sweetie Pie’s is definitely my mother’s favorite child,” Norman said.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Now through the show, it’s Montgomery’s turn to sacrifice for her son to have some time in the spotlight.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This whole reality show thing was Tim’s idea,” Montgomery said. “Every bit of this is him – I’m just along with him for the ride.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>So were Oprah’s cameras, capturing even the most intimate moments over the course of several months, from the mundane morning ritual of opening shop at the Mangrove location, to Tim’s proposal to his longtime girlfriend Janae.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I want us to make them laugh the way we make each other laugh,” Montgomery said. “I just really hope they like us and get a taste of what St. Louis is really like.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>It’s her first time in the spotlight for entertainment purposes since she was an Ikette, so her performance jitters are warranted.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“In the beginning it was my singing that had soul,” Montgomery said. “But when my career ended, this soul sister turned to soul food.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Norman
is eager to
see his brainchild in action. He knew that the Sweetie Pie’s family
was hilariously special.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”> “We’ve got to get these boxes out here before the warden gets here,” an employee says minutes before Montgomery arrives at 7:30 a.m. to set up shop in the kitchen.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Preparing for the lunch crowd is more than a notion as they hustle and bustle under Montgomery’s direction.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“I ask that you bless each and every one of the workers here, they are a lot of help to me and I appreciate them,” Montgomery confesses in the daily prayer Sweetie Pie’s staff members hold just before they open the doors to the Mangrove location at 11:30 a.m.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Even though I cuss them out every day, I still love them.”
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>And with an “Amen,” the chaos begins.
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“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s debuts on The Oprah Winfrey Network on Saturday, October 15 at 8 p.m. Check local listings for channel and visit
“http://www.oprah.com/own”>www.oprah.com/own information.
