“I’m the manager, sushi helper, kitchen helper,” James Kim says of his various roles at Yukihana Sushi and Hibachi, the restaurant he and his family opened in Naples on Oct. 30. “I’m the youngest, so I run all over the place.”

Kim, 45, doesn’t seem to mind. Dressed in dark slacks and a shirt and tie, he strides around the restaurant confidently, checking table settings, peeking into the rice cooker and chatting with employees. Were it not for the Japanese-style robe wrapping around his mid-section and hanging past his hips, he might look like a stockbroker or a business executive. But Kim’s business is food.

“We have the freshest fish,” he says proudly. “Anyone who eats sushi, you can tell by the taste.”

While most guests come to Yukihana to try the cooked specialties grilled tableside by theatrical hibachi chefs, Kim says the restaurant’s sushi has earned them many regular customers.

Kim moved to the United States from Seoul, South Korea, at age 13. When he received his U.S. citizenship, he was asked if he wanted an American name.

“I couldn’t think of one and I used to love James Bond — I still do — so, I said, ‘James’.”

The 007 roll on Yukihana’s menu is one of Kim’s inventions and another homage to the legendary spy. It contains steamed butterflied shrimp with avocado slices and Yukihana’s shredded crabmeat in a secret marinade.

Kim wouldn’t give us the recipe for his marinade, but he did teach us how to make a sushi staple, the California Roll made with avocado, cucumber and imitation crab.

“The basic is California roll,” Kim says. “We eat that at home, too.”

California Roll

Ingredients:

Sushi rice (see recipe below)

Seaweed wrapper (nori)

Imitation crabmeat (Kim recommends Osaki brand. “You need real Japanese imitation crabmeat. If you use the Publix kind, it won’t taste right.”)

Avocado, sliced

Cucumber, julienned

Seasame seeds (optional)

Wasabi

Pickled ginger

Endive and/or daikon for garnish

Soy sauce

Tools of the Trade:

Bamboo sushi mat, wrapped tightly in cling wrap to prevent the rice from sticking

Small bowl with water and three lemon slices

Long, straight edged knife, very sharp. Traditional sushi knives were made with metal like miniature samurai swords. Today’s versions are mixed with stainless steel and can cost up to $4,000.

Large plate and small dish for serving soy sauce

Chopsticks

Preparation:

Step 1:

Cut the nori (sea weed wrapper) in half. Dip your fingers in water and then clap hands once to disperse the water in a thin coating. Place a handful of rice at the center of the wrapper and using fingertips, spread the rice towards the edges so that it completely covers the nori in an even layer. If you want your rolls to look prettier, sprinkle the rice with sesame seeds. They don’t add anything to the sushi flavor: They are purely ornamental.

Step 2:

Place the nori and rice upside down and parallel with the bamboo sticks on your sushi mat, leaving about a half an inch of mat open at the top. Place the ingredients of your choice at the center of the seaweed. For a California roll, use two slices of avocado, julienned cucumber strips and shredded or whole pieces of imitation crabmeat. Place ingredients close together but not stacked on top of each other, making sure that there is unused seaweed remaining on either side.

Step 3:

Begin to roll. Lift the mat slightly, using your fingertips to hold the ingredients together and your thumbs to steer the mat. Roll the top of the mat over the ingredients, pressing in with your fingertips to “seal” the roll when you have come almost full circle. Do not press on the top: This will flatten your roll. At this point the rice should stick to itself and the filling should be secure. Wrap the tail end of the seaweed around the end of the roll, leaving a squared off tube-like shape. Remove mat.

Step 4:

Dip the tip of your knife in water (so the rice won’t stick to it) and cut the roll in half. Line up the two halves and slice each into three even pieces, cutting straight down or for a more attractive cross section, at an angle .

Step 5:

Serve on a large plate. Garnish with an endive leaf, daikon strips, a spoonful of wasabi and pickled ginger. Serve with a small side dish for mixing soy sauce and wasabi.

Sushi Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups white rice

4 cups water

1 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Rinse the rice thoroughly and set aside while you prepare the rest of your ingredients. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl. In a medium sized pot, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat and cover tightly. Cook for 30 minutes. “If you open the lid, you’ll ruin that rice,” Kim says. “If it burns the bottom, it’s only the bottom.”

After 30 minutes remove the rice from heat and transfer to a wooden or glass plate or bowl. Check your vinegar mixture to make sure the sugar has dissolved. If not, microwave it on high for 30 seconds to melt the sugar. Spread the vinegar mixture over the rice, turning the rice rapidly so it spreads evenly and coats each grain. Allow rice to cool approximately 30 minutes or to room temperature. Cover.