Painstakingly plated, garnished with intention, and popping with vibrant color. Before even lifting a fork, you know just by looking at Handle Executive Chef Briar Handly’s food that you’re in for something special. Meeting the eye’s expectations, the dishes shine with bold flavors, often with hints of pickled spice, zingy citrus, and crunchy Maldon sea salt bringing his signature texture and balance to each plate. 

With multiple semifinalist nominations in recent years in the Best Chef, Mountain category from the prestigious James Beard Foundation, Handly’s talent has been attracting attention lately, but he’s been working for decades. He describes this most recent recognition as the result of “busting his ass” since the late 1990s. “It’s a lot to live up to,” he says of the coveted national kudos. “This is as big as it gets in the culinary world, and it’s great to see Utah recognized on that map.” 

As stoked as he is about recent acclaim, he’s not resting on his laurels. “I’m constantly in pursuit of perfection,” Handly says of his passion for interpreting the flavors of the world using ingredients mostly grown and foraged in the Mountain West. He’s particularly proud to see Utah’s culinary scene steadily improving overall, noting awards claimed by chefs he’s worked with and mentored through the years. 

“If you surround yourself with people who are better than you, you make yourself a better chef,” he says of his own professional path. “When you work hard, everything else falls into place.”   

He points out that he’s not on the journey alone: Long before Handle opened in the fall of 2014, their team has included his wife and business partner, Melissa Gray, partner/owner Meagan Nash, and a cadre of talented cooks and staff, including “day one” Handle general manager, Ryan Espaillat. Now with a toddler at home and two restaurants to run—Salt Lake City’s sister spot, HSL, opened in 2016—Handly says he’s learned to lean more on his chefs de cuisine, currently Dave Rosenberger (Handle) and Kyle Williams (HSL). “Even though it’s really hard for me not to be the hands-on chef every shift, every day, everywhere.” 

As a diner in one of his restaurants, you can still tell Handly has a strong hand (ahem) running the show, and in the most delicious ways. Firmly ensconced in the “more is more” school of extravagance, Handly’s execution is a tightrope act of sourcing the best raw materials—it wouldn’t be one of his creations unless it included, as he describes it, “like, nine, ten, eleven ingredients, and a million garnishes”—and paradoxically letting each of them shine without being overly fussy. 

“We’re constantly pushing to keep evolving, changing with the seasons, and hopefully getting better all the time,” says Handly of what to expect of their team next. “I like to keep our guests guessing.”  Thinking ahead to bounty like fresh tomatoes and juicy stone fruits, Handly’s in his element. “When the farmers and growers are bringing us fruit and vegetables that are packed with flavor, and we plate it beautifully? It doesn’t get much better than that.” 136 Heber Ave, 435-602-1155; handleparkcity.com