Soul food gets spicier with the return of ‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s
theGRIO REPORT - Cooking soul food never gets old for Miss Robbie and her son Tim Norman, nor does the drama of owning a restaurant when 'Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s returns to television tonight...
No more baby mama drama
Norman’s relationship with his fiancé Jenae, the mother of his child, takes a rocky turn with the new installment.
In the earlier season, the two were engaged, but along with the bond came further complications.
“We’ve gone through some drastic changes in our lives in the past two years,” Norman remarks. “Whereas if you go back and watch episode one of Sweetie Pie’s everything was all love and birds and bees and roses. Through the business, there are a lot of factors that came in that altered our relationship. I am not opposed to marriage. It’s an individual preference…I’m not going to say it’s not happening, but right now I don’t know.”
Immediately, Miss Robbie chimes in.
“I’m for marriage, and I’m for Jenae because she had that little baby, and they went through a lot, “ she comments. “That deserves something. Now if you don’t love her, I don’t say marry her. But being the mother of your child is due some respect.”
She adds, “I’m always in his business. He tells me to stay out when I’m his mother, and I’m telling him right.”
Iyanla fix their life?
Part of the intrigue with Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s centers around the volatile dynamic between Norman and Miss Robbie, and their bickering escalates this season.
In fact, reports came out in December that there was so much drama on the set between not just the family, but the production crew that the show was at risk of cancellation.
Life coach Iyanla Vanzant was brought in as an intervention.
“I have to accept him as my son,” Miss Robbie comments. “I don’t like his ways of doing things, but I have to accept them…If I had my way, I’d fire him.”
At present (or at least on this particular day), the two appear relaxed and affable. Thus, the quarrelling plays on, albeit with a sense of humor.
“Expect the same rollercoaster ups and downs in the business, and ups and downs in the families,” says Norman. “We could go on forever and ever.”
Sympathizing with Paula Deen
Despite their constant wrangling, both Norman and Miss Robbie share similar opinions on the Paula Deen scandal, and express sympathy for their fellow Southern chef.
They describe the events as unfortunate.
“She’s worked so hard to build her empire,” Norman says. “I personally don’t think it’s fair. Her legacy is what’s happening right now, and unless something drastic comes that changes the way people feel, she’s going to be remembered for that.”
Furthermore, Miss Robbie points out that Deen’s slanderous words occurred in the past.
“I sympathize with her,” she remarks. “We’ve all done something we regret. I have a lot of guys I wish I could not have slept with, but you can’t take it back.”
Though they find fault in Deen’s public assassination, they understand how a lack of conscientiousness led to her fall from grace.
“You really have to be careful of what you do or say because people are waiting to throw stones,” Norman observes.
‘Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s’ becomes a brand
Like Deen, Miss Robbie and Norman have managed to utilize their natural abilities and cultural spices to create a developing brand.
In its successful run to date, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s has not only enhanced the family business, it has fostered high-ratings for OWN and earned an NAACP Award for “Outstanding Reality Series” in 2013.
Moreover, the restaurant announced in July it would be releasing its first cookbook through publisher HarperCollins, which as Miss Robbie describes it, will contain recipes for Southern “down home meals” from her Mississippi family archives.
What’s left to do now is just keep on cooking, deal with the personal day-to-day, and more importantly, speak their mind on all the above.
Like how Norman would prefer to outlaw the term “baby mama” because it rubs him the wrong way.
“It’s one of those words I think should be stricken from the Ebonics dictionary,” he explains.
And how Miss Robbie thinks it’s funny.
“[Jenae] is your baby mama!” She laughs. “And when I talk to her, I say it’s your baby daddy!”
Alas, the search for middle ground resumes.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s airs Saturdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN.
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia
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