This might be the first time a dish of nachos was good for someone's health. Patrons of The RAM may be surprised to find Easter-pink tortilla chips in their Mexican fare, but that ingredient is meant to raise awareness of breast cancer prevention and treatment. "Our nacho chip provider is a company out of Portland, called Reser's," explains Mark Schermerhorn, marketing leader for The RAM. "They provide most of the chips used by the restaurant industry in the South Sound ... They're making a per-case donation to breast cancer awareness initiatives."

Furthermore, The RAM crafted three pink cocktails, a dollar from each purchase of which goes to the American Cancer Society. "We initiated this last year," says Schermerhorn, "and it was very successful ... This is a national initiative, but everything we raise stays local in the Puget Sound market. We have all of our 11 Puget-Sound locations doing this now through the end of the month." Patrons who buy a glass of Chloe wine receive a pink ribbon charm, and all guests are invited (by pink-ribbon-wearing servers) to add a donation to their checks. This promotion raised almost $9,000 last year for "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" initiatives. "We sell a lot of pink nachos," says Schermerhorn, "and we're trying to outdo ourselves."

According to BreastCancer.org, about one in eight women contract breast cancer, as do about 2,600 American men each year. Death rates have been declining since 1989, but even so the disease kills over 40,000 women each year in the U.S. Almost a quarter of a million cases are diagnosed each year, 85% of them in women with no family history of the disease. For information on when and how to schedule a breast exam, please visit cancer.org. In the meantime, raise a chip to good health at The RAM, where a tasty Tex-Mex dinner might just save a life.

THE RAM RESTAURANT & BREWERY, open daily at multiple locations including 3001 Ruston Way, Tacoma, 10019 59th Ave., Lakewood, 103 35th Ave. SE, Puyallup, 10403 156th St. E. #101, Puyallup and 8100 Freedom Lane NE Suite C, Lacey