NOT YOUR MOTHER’S TEA ROOM
Story by Kyle Marie McMahon | Photos by Jessica Bratton unless otherwise noted
Five years ago, the Pimiento Tea Room in Holly Springs didn’t officially exist yet. There was no bustling dining room, no clinking of tea cups, and no line out the door. Instead, on Thanksgiving morning, Matt and Christy Griffith were on the front porch of a historic home on Main Street, handing out “snacky snacks” to neighbors who had placed orders for pickup.
“We did a bunch of prepackaged pimento cheese, black-eyed pea hummus, deviled eggs, Texas sheet cake,” Christy recalls. The idea was to give locals something to nibble on while they waited for their turkeys to cook.
It was a humble, grassroots beginning that perfectly foreshadowed what the Pimiento Tea Room would become: a place deeply rooted in hospitality, history, and community. Now, as they celebrate their fifth anniversary, the Griffiths have cemented their establishment not just as a restaurant, but as a way to say “thank you” to the town that saved them.
A Different Kind of Tea Room
From the moment you leave the bustling Main Street behind and step into the quirky, vibrant interior of the 200-year-old house, it is immediately clear that this is not a traditional, stuffy tea service. “We take ourselves seriously in that we want every guest to have a great experience and great food, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says Christy.
That philosophy is the driving force behind the menu. Christy, who has a culinary background from Wake Tech, designed a concept she calls “New Southern Cuisine.” It involves taking seasonal Southern ingredients and applying a world of global influences.
“It’s not your mama’s tea room,” Christy says—a phrase they often use as a hashtag. You won’t find dainty cucumber sandwiches here. The food is hearty and adventurous. While tea is the star—brewed in French presses—the vibe is relaxed. “We don’t want people to come in feeling like you have to dress up … you don’t have to have your pinkies up.”
The beverage program is equally inventive, bridging the gap between a tea parlor and a craft cocktail bar. They infuse spirits with their loose-leaf teas to create complex flavor profiles, such as the G+Tea, a gin and tonic made with Earl Grey–infused gin.
Then there are the scones. A staple of the menu, they are Southern-style cream scones—triangular, fluffy, and more akin to a biscuit than their dense English counterparts. They are served not with jam, but with flavored butters that change with the whims of the kitchen. Options have ranged from savory Hot Honey Scallion to sweet Chocolate Peppermint, or opt for the fan-favorite “Unicorn,” a vanilla butter with sprinkles.
Rooted in History
The setting for this culinary creativity is as important as the food itself. The building dates back to the early 1800s. Over the centuries, it has been a residence, a gift shop, and an engineering office.
When Matt and Christy acquired the property, Matt used his engineering background to carefully peel back the layers of time. Demolition revealed original square nails, hand-hewn planks, and wainscoting hidden under layers of carpet and drywall. They kept the bones of the house but injected it with their own personality—including a bathroom wallpaper so vibrant and popular that it frequently goes viral on social media. And each Christmas, the restaurant becomes an explosion of unique and fun decorations.
They also honor the home’s history in their menu. One of their signature cocktails, The Widow Nichols, is named after Ginny Nichols, a former resident who, with her husband, ran the post office—and then inherited it after his death with some savvy will workarounds—out of the back window in the mid-1800s.
Giving Back to Holly Springs
While the food and the history are compelling, the true heartbeat of the Pimiento Tea Room is the Griffiths’ connection to Holly Springs. For them, opening a restaurant here wasn’t just a business decision; it was a personal mission. “We love the community of Holly Springs,” says Matt. “They have been supportive of us as a community, and we wanted to be a part of it.”
In 2009, their youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer. The family was suddenly thrown into a nightmare of treatments and uncertainty.
“People had just done all these fundraisers for us,” Christy remembers. “It was just the outpouring of support from all these people we didn’t even know. We wanted to do something here because we knew the community was supportive, and they were fantastic.”
Their daughter is now 18 and healthy, but the Griffiths never forgot the way the community rallied around them. They wanted to create a place that served that same community, but they also wanted to do something more specific.
“Someone told us once, ‘Use your talents to make the world a better place,’” Christy says. “And we thought, we’re good at throwing a party. So, let’s do this”.
That party became the Pimiento Supper Club. Launched in September 2021—coinciding with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month—the Supper Club is a monthly ticketed dinner featuring a seven-course tasting menu with wine pairings.
The event allows Christy to stretch her culinary muscles with unique dishes that often end up on the main menu later, but the purpose is purely philanthropic. The Griffiths cover the costs, and the proceeds build a donation pool for CureSearch for Children’s Cancer.
“It blows me away every time I think about it,” Matt says of the funds they’ve raised. It is their way of ensuring that other families receive the same hope they were given years ago. “Without the people that had done the same for our daughter [when she] was diagnosed, she might not have reached the finish line.”
Looking Toward the Future
As the Pimiento Tea Room crosses the five-year mark—a significant milestone for any restaurant, let alone one that opened shortly before the pandemic—Matt and Christy are in brainstorm mode. They are exploring ideas for tea education events or potentially expanding their retail offerings so guests can take a piece of the experience home. But mostly, they are focused on continuing to evolve the dining experience within the walls of the historic house they love.
Whether you call it Pimiento (spelled with an extra ‘i’ because Christy felt it “didn’t look right” without it) or just the spot with the amazing scones, the tea room has become exactly what the Griffiths intended: a relaxed, welcoming space where neighbors become friends.
But at the end of the day, whether you’re there for a seven-course charity dinner or just a pot of tea and some pimento cheese, the goal is simple: to share a table, share a story, and be part of the community.
