chapter :
on the other hand
An Evolving Tasting Experience, Cocktail & Wine, No Fixed Narrative. | Est. 2025
Our Story
ON THE OTHER HAND, by Handson
On the Other Hand, By Handson is the next chapter of our story — a place where we cook the food we believe in, with ingredients we love, expressed in our own way.
From the kitchen to the cocktails and wine, everything is shaped by what we trust, what we stand behind, and who we are. There is no standard we are trying to follow — just our own perspective in an out-of-the-ordinary world.
Kyle Lee is the chef, owner, and driving force behind By Handson. Born in Korea and raised in Canada, his career has taken him through Michelin-starred kitchens around the world, from one to three stars, as well as some of Vancouver’s most recognized restaurants, where he stepped into leadership roles at a young age.
These experiences shaped the chef he is today — combining the precision and discipline of fine dining with instinct, curiosity, and a genuine appreciation for every ingredient. His approach begins with understanding what an ingredient naturally wants to be, honouring its character, and using technique with purpose to bring it to its fullest potential.
Throughout his career, Kyle has led successful kitchens and helped guide young cooks as they found their own place within the profession. That responsibility continues at By Handson. Today, he mentors Nishan, who first entered the restaurant as a dishwasher with little kitchen experience. Through curiosity, discipline, and a willingness to learn, Nishan has grown into a young cook who now works side by side with Kyle in the kitchen — something they are both deeply proud of.
By Handson is an extension of the way Kyle thinks about food and hospitality. His cooking is not bound to one cuisine, tradition, or trend. Instead, the menu moves through seasonality, memory, technique, and flavour — drawing from the different cultures, kitchens, and experiences that have shaped him.
For Kyle, a restaurant is about more than what arrives on the plate. Food, wine, hospitality, atmosphere, and the people behind it all belong to the same experience. A restaurant should not only create memorable food, but also be a place where people are given the opportunity to learn, grow, and become proud of what they do.
As the head and soul behind By Handson, Kyle continues to let the restaurant evolve alongside the people within it — personal, intentional, curious, and never meant to stand still.
Our team
By Handson is an intimate, farm-to-table restaurant driven by the seasons. We work with local farms and producers, letting fresh ingredients shape a constantly evolving menu.
Our food is paired with natural wines from British Columbia and house-crafted cocktails, served in a relaxed and welcoming setting. Thoughtful cooking, local ingredients, and genuine hospitality—without the formality.
By Handson is also shaped by Cassidy — a pastry chef and cook driven by imagination, emotion, and instinct rather than convention. Her creations come from the world she lives in internally: memories, art, color, movement, and feeling.
That perspective extends beyond pastry. Cassidy shapes the cocktail program, curates our selection of natural British Columbia wines, and influences the visual world of By Handson — from the table to the small details that define the room.
The cocktails were never built from a traditional bartender’s perspective, but through her way of connecting flavors like chapters in a story, linking dishes and moments together through taste. Influenced by her Vietnamese roots and a palate drawn to tropical, vibrant flavors, her work brings softness, curiosity, and unpredictability into the restaurant.
She was never meant to fit inside a box, and neither is her role. Her personality quietly lives throughout By Handson.