Celebrate Louisiana cuisine March 5 at the 15th annual Lafcadio Hearn Award and Distinguished Visiting Chef Series, presented by the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

The event will honor Chef Frank Brigtsen, who trained under internationally renowned Chef Paul Prudhomme and is now the co-owner of New Orleans’ Brigtsen’s Restaurant and Charlie’s Seafood with his wife, Marna.

The evening’s dinner will feature dishes created by distinguished visiting chef and Philadelphia-native Alon Shaya.

Attendees will dine on Shaya’s wild mushroom vellutata, with truffle bruschetta; beet and blood orange salad with fresh herbs, hazelnut vinaigrette and arugula; slow roasted pork coppa, whole grain polenta and artichokes “stracotto.”

For dessert he will present banana zuppa inglese with peanut brittle.

An associate of 2011 Lafcadio Hearn honoree Chef John Besh, Shaya forged a partnership with Besh in 2008 to open Domenica, a family-oriented Italian restaurant in New Orleans’ historic Roosevelt Hotel.

The Lafcadio Hearn Award and Distinguished Visiting Chef Series will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by the distinguished visiting chef’s presentation and dinner at 7 p.m., in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Bollinger Memorial Student Union at Nicholls.

Tickets are $150 per plate and must be purchased by Feb. 27. For reservations, call 985-449-7114.