Darren Xie, 32, Iowa City

Owner, chef @ Oyama Sushi

How long have you been in the restaurant business with your brother-in-law Henry Liu?

We’ve been cooking for more than 15 years. We opened the Iowa City restaurant five years ago and Cedar Rapids just opened last October. Our family lived in Manhattan for a while which is where we picked up our cooking style. Working with family is great. You can help each other out for big parties, customer relations and learn from each other and our different management styles.

What is the cuisine style at Oyama?

We call it New York style. Variety is our unique asset, with specialty sushi rolls we’ve created ourselves, including our most popular the Iowa City roll.

Describe the vibe?

Friendly, welcoming, unintimidating. Physically we have a big hibachi grill space, a dining area, sushi bar and beverage bar. Our pricing is very reasonable no matter when you come in and what part of the menu you want to try. We have lunch specials and dinner specials so people can enjoy a number of times, not just for special occasions. The hibachi grill is a great source of entertainment, interactive experience for customers.

What inspires you as a chef?

Once in awhile I’ll be inspired with new gadgets and ingredients that give me inspiration to try new things and create. Henry and I learn from each other to make it successful. We train the chefs work, who work close with us for quite awhile before we allow them to cook on their own. The majority of our chefs are also from New York so they understand our style.

What advice would you give to someone trying Japanese food for the first time?

Stick to the basics and consult the staff if you’re not sure what you want. Any good restaurant should be equipped with a knowledgeable staff that will be able to help you find something you’ll like. Once you have the basics down you’ll feel more comfortable and confident to get into the specialty items. Bento boxes are great because it allows you to try a number of things during one meal.

What do you think is one of the biggest misconceptions about sushi?

Sushi is not just raw fish. Sushi is one name for a variety of things, both cooked and raw.

— QUINN

CHECK IT OUT: Oyama in Cedar Rapids is the site of ImpactCR’s next D.I.N.E. (Dinner in Nifty Eateries) event March 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. Members and non-members are welcome. RSVP to Vanessa at social@impactcr.org

DETAILS: Oyama Sushi, 5350 Council St. NE, Cedar Rapids and 1853 Lower Muscatine Rd., Iowa City; 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4;30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; (319) 832-1800 in Cedar Rapids and (319) 337-8801 in Iowa City; www.oyamasushi.com