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Executive Teppanyaki Chef/Owner, Tokyo Inn, Shops of Marco, 1825 San Marco Road, Phone: 642-3999, Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. daily

Began working at present restaurant?

When I bought the business 10 years ago. It’s been open 15 years in the same location in Shops of Marco.

Who or what inspired you to become a chef/cook?

I’m Korean. My parents were already here in America and I followed them to St. Petersburg in 1986. I learned to be a hibachi chef then a sushi chef in America 22 years ago. Before that in Korea, I helped my father who was a family doctor.

What was your first restaurant job?

The Arigato Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi in St. Petersburg, where I was hired as a hibachi chef. I worked there a total of 10 years, but for the first 5 years I was an assistant. It was at Arigato that I learned to be a sushi chef. I was a professional — I wanted to know everything about Japanese cuisine.

How long have you been cooking professionally?

For 22 years, including the years at Arigato and here at the Tokyo Inn.

How would you describe your cooking style?

Teppanyaki — in Japan that is like a master chef here in America — teppanyaki includes the same artistic presentation and knife skills expected in the preparation of sushi, and that’s why I wanted to know about sushi.

What is your most popular dish?

Here at the Tokyo Inn it’s probably my Samurai Special Dinner cooked hibachi style in a combination of tender beef filet, lobster tail and shrimp. All the dinners come with soup, salad, a shrimp appetizer, vegetables and fried rice. But also very popular is my sushi dinner, it’s a very colorful combination of freshly sliced, salmon, tuna, delicate white tuna, snapper and roll sushi that also comes with soup and salad with ginger dressing.

What is your favorite wine/food?

I occasionally enjoy sipping cold sake. Ozeki Karatamba is one of my favorites. Incidentally, here at Tokyo Inn we offer several kinds of cold sake, and Saporo, Asahi, and Kirin Japanese beers.

Do you cook at home?

If so, what would we always find in your fridge/freezer? Ah yes, sometimes a noodle dish — udon or soba — and lots of fresh fish.

What is your secret ingredient? Why?

Well, the Italians use pinot grigio, and I like to use sake to add another layer of flavor.

What would you like to be doing if you weren’t a chef?

I’d be working at a major Japanese newspaper in a big metropolitan city like Chicago or New York.

What annoys you most in the kitchen?

Any dirt or messiness, of course. But I’d really be annoyed if anyone else used my cooking implements, like any one of my sushi knives. Do you know they can cost up to $500?

What do you enjoy most about your profession?

I like interacting with the customers and answering their questions when I’m preparing their sushi order. I also like cooking on the teppan and then hearing the people say how much they enjoyed the experience and the food.