“It’s not hard for us to stay grounded because we get up and go to work every morning,” said Tim Norman, co-owner of Sweetie Pie’s and co-star of the hit reality TV show that follows the day-to-day operations of the popular soul food eatery. “I think that sets us apart from the rest of those shows.”
He has a point. A hard day’s work for most of the stars of the reality franchises consists of developing a faux fashion line or being manhandled by a glam squad.
But Norman and his mother, former Ikette turned restaurateur Robbie Montgomery, put the reality back in reality TV. This down home show on The Oprah Winfrey Network has become a breakout hit, with the premiere of the second season of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s set for March 31.
While the nature of their business doesn’t allow them to get caught up in fame, the show’s success still blows them away.
“I still cannot believe it,” Norman said. “I feel like I’m dreaming. The Oprah Winfrey Network didn’t have to pick us – and in urban media right now you don’t see a lot of positive black television. I feel like the timing was right for us – it was a God thing.”
It’s a family affair, involving Norman, Montgomery, Norman’s fiancée (and T.J.’s mother) Janae Wallick and Montgomery’s nephew Charles Chrenchaw.
“We are truly blessed, and we are excited and we hoped everybody liked it,” Montgomery said. “It seems like the world has been with us. We are thankful and excited to keep doing it.”
As she oversees a deep fryer filled with chicken wings, Miss Robbie’s face is “beat to death” on a daily basis. And her colorful chef jackets are the first indicator of her spunk and sass.
“I’m messing up my lashes,” she said as she cried tears of joy in the second season’s premiere. Her first grandchild was leaving the hospital for the first time after being born three months premature.
T.J.’s early arrival was unexpected, and Tim and Janae moved in with Miss Robbie for extra support with the baby.
“He wants me to move with them,” Montgomery said. “I’m not dead, I’m just old.”
They also tackle the tedious construction process for their third restaurant, Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust, that is being built in Grand Center. New family, friends and employees enter the picture as they work towards Montgomery’s goal of operating out of a venue she owns.
“It’s hard, and working with family makes it harder,” Norman said. “You can’t leave work at work sometimes. I have some strong women to deal with, and they gang on me really quickly.”
The delightful banter that keeps people glued to the screen managed to make its way into the interview
“Until I’ve found my own way, the restaurant is my life,” Chrenchaw said.
“’Cause that’s the only place he can come and do nothing,” Montgomery fired back.
The family believes that the popularity of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s is rooted in the common bond they offer with the audience and the way they resolve conflict.
“We are a family business, and a family struggling with our ups and downs, and everyone is in tune with that,” Norman said.
“We try to be respectful. That’s the difference between us and the other popular reality shows,” Wallick said.
“We argue, but it’s the way the handle it and the way that we work through it,” Norman piggybacked.
They are excited that fans have tuned in, and they are eager to point out where it where it all began.
“We’re not putting St. Louis on the map, St. Louis put us on the map,” Montgomery said. “We wouldn’t have had the success – on the show or with the business – if the entire city hadn’t been behind us.”
“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” second season premieres Saturday, March 31 at 8 p.m. CST on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN Network. Check local listings for channels. Visit http://www.oprah.com/own.
