Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s
Hollywood by Choice
“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” is a groundbreaking African American reality show that tells it like it is when it comes to running a soul food restaurant with family, friends and a host of characters that make up the Sweetie Pie staff.
This reality show, based in St. Louis, centers around Miss Robbie Montgomery, as she shares with us the drama, laughter, frustration, and joy that goes into building a successful business. You’ll even get a little hungry when they serve up the tasty food that makes many of us think of home. Don’t get me wrong though ... this is not a cooking show. It is about building the American dream and what it takes to achieve it.
Now in it’s second season on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” Miss Robbie at 71 is beautiful, full of passion for her life’s work and has a strong history of survival, overcoming and thriving. And “back in the day” she had her share of the limelight too. In the 1960s, she was a backup singer and former Ikette with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
If you know anything about the Ikette’s you know they were some of the hardest singing and dancing sisters in show business. Miss Robbie left the Ike and Tina Turner Revue when she learned she could make more money singing backup with top Black and White performers than being on the road with the Revue.
Her singing career was cut short when she suffered a collapsed lung and had to stop singing, but always a fighter, she turned to the other talent she was blessed with—cooking.
She used to sell food from the back of her car, and at a very early stage, dreamed of owning her own restaurant although she was broke most of the time.
Fast forward to today and that dream has come true, and with family love and support Miss Robbie owns two “Sweetie Pie’s” family-owned restaurants with a third on its way.
Her handsome son, Tim Norman is her rock, critic and sometimes adversary when it comes to running the restaurant where he serves as manager. Tim believes she shouldn’t be in the kitchen cooking, that’s why she has a staff. But Miss Robbie wants things done a certain way and if she has to do it she will.
He’s also a new dad and soon to be husband to Jenae Wallick, his fiancee. We’ll see more of new baby T.J. and how Tim adjusts to fatherhood and helping his mom run their growing business.
And then there’s Lil’ Charles, handsome, spirited and a “hot mess,” but definitely going places.
While in Hollywood Lil’ Charles, was making his own deals, and has serious visions of stardom.
He was such a standout last season by accident because he wasn’t initially a part of the show, but when the camera turned his way he embraced it and it embraced him and so did the audience.
The new season puts Miss Robbie in the heat of the kitchen so to speak, from keeping her staff in line, to creating and designing her newest, most ambitious restaurant to date, and we’ll be along for the ride.
“Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s” airs on OWN, Saturdays at 9 p.m., or check your local listings. Visit the website at http://www.oprah.com/own-sweetie-pies/Welcome-to-Sweetie-Pies and click on ‘Watch the first five minutes of “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s.”
Gail can be reached at gail@hollywoodbychoice.com.
What do champions do when they discover that things are not going as planned or hoped? They regroup and come out fighting. Oprah Winfrey is just that kind of champion.
Winfrey has acknowledged that launching her own cable channel has been more difficult than she expected. And she plans to devote herself to overhauling OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and spending more time in Los Angeles where the headquarters of OWN is located.
According to the Hollywood Reporter (THR) “Think Like a Man” scored one of the best openings in recent memory for an African American-themed film in debuting at $33 million.
Futhermore, “Think Like a Man,” adapted from Steve Harvey’s best-selling advice book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” gets bragging rights to being the film to topple Lionsgate’s blockbuster “The Hunger Games”—which has now grossed $357 million domestically—from it’s No. 1 perch.
Bishop T.D. Jakes’ “Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day,” a Neema Barnette film starring Golden Globe® nominee Blair Underwood (“Madea’s Family Reunion,” “Set It Off”), Sharon Leal (“Why Did I Get Married Too?”), Nicole Beharie (“American Violet”), Nicoye Banks (“Law & Order”) and Emmy Award® nominee Pam Grier (“Just Wright”), did a box office ‘wow’ when it performed better than anyone predicted, including the makers of the film.
In a past article, I railed against two reality shows airing on VH1—“Basketball Wives” (Miami and L.A. telecasts) and “Love and Hip Hop.” This time I come in praise of a different type of reality show airing on VH1: “Styled by June.”
What I like about this show is that it depicts a Black woman following her dreams. Yes, the drama is still there, but not what you’d expect. What we see is a woman using her gifts to help others see what they don’t see in themselves.
Actress Octavia Spencer walked away with the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 84th annual Academy Awards Show Sunday. Spencer’s character Minny Jackson in “The Help” aptly displayed her comedic as well as dramatic abilities and demonstrated how grounded an actress she is. Her grace and beauty warmed the audience and her sincere words touched the hearts of many. Spencer is the fifth Black actress to win in the Best Supporting Actress category.
