"I know he's got a lot on his plate right now after losing his three restaurants," says Choy, who recently returned from the Epicurean Escape in Jamaica, where he once again won the Jamaican Iron Chef cook-off. "I'd fly down there myself to help if I knew I could actually get into the city."

As part of Diamond Head's 10th anniversary, Choy and his staff will play host to a fund-raising dinner this Wednesday, with proceeds going toward Lagasse's employees in New Orleans.

"We want to share a little aloha spirit with them," Choy said. "I'm sure this is a very difficult time for Emeril and all his employees. Our kokua goes out to all of them."

While Lagasse won't be able to make the flight across the Pacific to participate in this one-night-only event, he has developed the evening's menu, providing all the recipes and necessary instructions.

"It will be like dining at Emeril's but without Emeril," said Sam Choy's co-owner James Lee. "He's even sending autographed copies of his new book, which all attendees will receive."

This benefit dinner will cost $150, which includes wine pairings. Reservations are required.

The five-course Cajun-inspired menu will include such Emeril specialties as shrimp cakes with roasted shrimp sauce, fried green tomatoes with lump crab meat, pork tenderloin en croute, pan-roasted striped bass and banana cream pie.

"In the infamous words of Emeril, we'll kick it up a notch," Choy said. "This is a great dinner for a very worthy cause."

As part of this weeklong 10th anniversary celebration, the restaurant will roll out a special champagne brunch today and next Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Priced at $19.95 for adults and $1 per each year of age for keiki 5 to 12, brunch will feature such dishes as salmon Wellington, hibachi chicken, snow crab clusters, ginger-scallion Island fish, chef Sam's guava babyback ribs, assorted breakfast meats, carved prime rib, waffle station, the chocolate fountain and the poke boat. All adults will also be served a glass of bubbly.

Aaron Fukuda's anniversary dinner will include peppered ahi sashimi.

Guests will start their dinner with peppered ahi sashimi, followed by duck confit Caesar salad and lobster-potato risotto.

The main entree will consist of red-wine-braised short ribs, accompanied by Sam's famous roasted garlic Kapakahi mashed potatoes, baby vegetables and truffled onion strings.

"It's a good menu," said general manager Jamie Robinson. "Our challenge is always to be different from other restaurants. And I think we've done this with this dinner."

On Friday, guests who purchase an entree will get a free taste at the Aloha Chocolate Fountain, where they can dip assorted fruits into a cascading flow of milk chocolate.