The thought of opening a tea room-style restaurant had always been intriguing to Matt and Christy Griffith, so when they came across a 180-year-old historic house in downtown Holly Springs, NC, they decided to turn that dream into a reality.
The Griffiths opened Pimiento Tea Room in 2020. Prior to opening the restaurant, the couple dedicated a lot of their free time to volunteering with CureSearch for Children’s Cancer.
Their youngest child, Eve, was diagnosed with anaplastic bilateral Wilms Tumor in 2009 when she was two years old.
“That was the worst day of our lives,” said Christy. “When you hear the word, ‘cancer’, but don’t yet have a plan, it’s easy to feel helpless and imagine the most unfavorable outcome.”
While Eve was being treated at Duke University Hospital, physicians told the family about CureSearch. Christy even chaired one of the first CureSearch Walks and became active with the Ultimate Hike program.
After the restaurant was up and running, the Griffiths wanted to continue giving back to CureSearch and supporting children with cancer, so they launched the monthly Supper Club, a seven-course event that features adventurous cuisine with a Southern twist, and where proceeds are donated to CureSearch.
In 2022, the Pimiento Tea Room Supper Club raised nearly $30,000 for childhood cancer research.
“Finding a creative way to continue to raise money with limited time was our goal, and that’s how Supper Club came to be,” said Christy. “It’s a great way for people to enjoy a fun night out, while funding life-saving research so that more children can have their happily-ever-afters.”
Eve is now cancer free. Like so many childhood cancer survivors, she is at risk for lifelong side effects from treatment, including heart problems, so she must continue to be mindful of activities that will stress her heart.
“My hope is that kids with cancer will have safer treatments that don’t leave them with lifelong late effects,” said Christy. “That’s why we support CureSearch.”
Learn more about CureSearch-funded research at https://curesearch.org/our-research-strategy.