Sweetie Pie’s was a St. Louis soul food institution founded by Miss Robbie Montgomery, a former Ikettes backup singer who turned to cooking after an asthma diagnosis ended her performing career. The Manchester Avenue location appeared in Season 3, Episode 2 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — “Like Mama Made,” aired March 17, 2008 — and later became the subject of the OWN Network reality series Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, which ran for nine seasons. The restaurant expanded to multiple locations before closing permanently amid legal troubles involving Miss Robbie’s son Tim Norman, who was convicted in a murder-for-hire case in 2022. Miss Robbie Montgomery passed away in February 2023. Sweetie Pie’s is permanently closed.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Sweetie Pie’s
City: St. Louis, Missouri
Cuisine: Soul Food
DDD Season: 3
DDD Episode: 2
Episode Title: Like Mama Made
Original Air Date: March 17, 2008
Address: 4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110 (former location)
Phone: 314-371-0304
Status: Permanently Closed
About Sweetie Pie’s
Robbie Montgomery opened the original Sweetie Pie’s in the early 1990s after years of performing with Ike and Tina Turner as a backup singer. She built the restaurant around the soul food recipes she grew up cooking, and the result earned a devoted following across St. Louis and eventually national attention. The OWN series ran from 2011 to 2018 and documented the family’s operation of multiple locations. The closures following Tim Norman’s arrest and conviction ended what had been a remarkable story of creative reinvention.
What Was on the Menu
Sweetie Pie’s was known for its Southern soul food classics — macaroni and cheese, candied yams, fried chicken, smothered pork chops, oxtails, peach cobbler, and sweet potato pie. The macaroni and cheese was the dish most frequently cited by regulars as the standout.
Last Known Location
Address: 4270 Manchester Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
Status: Permanently Closed
Sweetie Pie’s appeared in Season 3, Episode 2 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “Like Mama Made,” originally aired March 17, 2008. The restaurant permanently closed following legal proceedings involving the owner’s family.