February is a time when many people flock to restaurants in the name of love to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but one local restaurant is offering a special deal for those interested in matters of the heart.
 
Next month, every purchase of the Surf & Turf Chimichurri appetizer at Cape Fear Seafood Company locations will net $2 toward a cardiology research fund at Duke Children’s Hospital. The sweet and savory dish features steak tips and shrimp tossed in blackening seasoning, grilled with pineapple chunks, and topped with bright, herby chimichurri sauce.
 
The campaign coincides with American Heart Month, which is described on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website as a time to highlight issues in cardiovascular health.
 
Cape Fear Seafood Company owners Evans and Nikki Trawick established the Trawick Pediatric Cardiology Research Fund in 2018 to support congenital heart defect research at the Duke facility. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect according to the CDC, a statistic felt firsthand by the Trawicks when their daughter Ande was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. She underwent three open heart surgeries by age three, including one 10 days after birth, to shore up the undeveloped left side of her heart.
 
“Ande has a bright future; however, there are so many more kids out there who continue to need the medical resources and focus to fight and live normal, happy lives. This is just one way we can contribute to that fight,” Evans Trawick said in a release.

The Trawicks’ fund supports research that could improve care and treatment options for Ande and other children born with congenital heart defects, some of which come with a higher risk for complications later in life.
 
“Having gone through this journey with Ande, I can’t tell you how in awe we are with the medical breakthroughs that have happened for congenital heart defects in children,” Evans Trawick said in a release.
 
The donations from February’s campaign will add to more than $150,000 raised by the Trawick Pediatric Cardiology Research Fund since its founding. Typically, $1 is donated from every Surf & Turf Chimichurri appetizer sold at Cape Fear Seafood Company locations. In February, the Trawicks will match each $1 donation, bringing the total donation per appetizer to $2.
 
Cape Fear Seafood Company operates three locations in the Wilmington area – in Monkey Junction, Porters Neck and Leland – plus two in Raleigh, with another in Wake Forest opening this year.
 
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