For two decades, Tom Kamis has helped shape the heart of downtown Eugene through his iconic restaurant, The Davis. Long before downtown regained its energy, Tom believed in the neighborhood and created a welcoming place where people could gather, celebrate, and connect over good food and drinks. Tom persevered through economic downturns, changing downtown conditions, and the enormous challenges brought by the COVID pandemic. Through these tumultuous seasons, Tom has become universally respected for his quiet determination, deep generosity, and a habit of helping others without drawing attention to himself.

Heather Edwards (of Metro Eugene Rotary Club) recently shared the following: "When fires ravaged the West Coast in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, local restaurant owner Tom Kamis and his dedicated staff prepared hundreds of meals a day for displaced families. What started as Thanksgiving boxes turned into weeks of meeting the most immediate need of so many families: food. The Mission and Food for Lane County donated food to local restaurants to prepare and cook. During that terrifying time, they all wanted to help our most devastated neighbors, those who’d lost everything...On one of their busiest days, they made and boxed about 300 meals. 'It was one of my best experiences in the restaurant industry,' Tom recalled recently. And he was quick to point out that Soriah’s Ib Hamide and Ambrosia’s Armen Kevrekian also committed their restaurants to the substantial effort. 

For 16 years, The Davis offered a weekly home to the Eugene Metropolitan Rotary Club. Unlike most meeting spaces ideal for Rotary clubs, Tom never charged a rental fee, never made us pay a flat fee for food, never restricted us to a heat-lamp buffet, or required RSVPs for a weekly headcount. He always consulted us on what configuration worked best for our meetings. He provided the A/V equipment we needed to host guest speakers, to share presentations, and to hear one another. That kind of extraordinary flexibility and accommodation is unheard of. And, of course, like any gifted restaurateur, his menus always offered excellent food, classic favorites, and custom drinks. For all the jokes Rotarians have to make about 'rubber chicken lunches', Metrotarians could always tell guests and prospective members to join us downtown for some of the best food and wine in Eugene, and mean it. 

As a pillar of the community, he is exactly the kind of small business owner everyone loves to support. When we found out Tom was fighting a compounding series of medical crises, we were devastated to learn that one insurance company after another was denying him the treatment he needed in order to recover and the care he needed to stay healthy. 

Running any business in downtown Eugene is challenging enough, between the difficult real estate market, increased crime, and folks suffering from untreated mental health issues. So when Tom could not access the significant medical care he needed, his well-run and long-successful business began to suffer. He fought hard for years, but the collision of these factors proved insurmountable, even for someone as talented, business-savvy, and industrious as Tom. 

Now it’s our turn. We have the opportunity to help our friend, if even just a fraction of how much he has helped us as a Rotary club, everything he’s enabled us to focus on by providing a meeting space that wasn’t just stable, it was an exceptional place to call Metro’s home since 2010. If you have ever enjoyed one of downtown’s best restaurants, or if you just want to support a community champion who always steps up for others, you can make a contribution here."

Tom has steadfastly shown us that when times are hard, we can show up for each other. Let’s show up for Tom during his season of need. If his warm welcome and quiet generosity have meant something to you, now is the time to show Tom the difference that he's made. 

Please consider joining the Eugene Metro Rotary Club, and our community, in supporting Tom through this very difficult season. Your contribution makes a meaningful difference to him.