Oquirrh
“This was always the goal, owning our own place,” said Andrew Fuller. “I just had to be patient enough to wait for the right moment.” For Andrew Fuller and his wife, Angelena, that moment arrived in February 2019 with the opening of Oquirrh, a refined yet welcoming American restaurant nestled in downtown Salt Lake City. At once personal and quietly romantic, Oquirrh reflects their shared story: a love for good food, deep respect for craft, and an unshakable partnership that spans both life and work.
Andrew grew up in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, near Aspen, and began cooking in high school to earn credits that allowed him more time on the slopes. From age eighteen to twenty-nine, he was a professional snowboarder. “I got paid to snowboard,” he said. “Some years were better than others.” But after a few injuries, and as the 2008 recession pulled funding from the industry, he decided it was time to move on. “At that point, I just kind of decided that I wanted to transition and learn how to be a chef, learn how to run and own a restaurant.” He did just that.
Andrew worked slowly and methodically in kitchens across Salt Lake City and beyond. He started at Copper Onion in 2010, where he moved from line cook to sous chef, then took a position at Pago, a leader in Salt Lake’s farm-to-table movement. He "staged" at Michelin-starred COI in San Francisco and at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York. He helped open HSL in Salt Lake City and later worked in Sugar House while he and Angelena quietly laid the groundwork for their own place.
Angelena and Andrew began with small private catering events, testing their ideas and gathering experience while also filling their living room with plates and glassware for the restaurant they would one day own. By the end of 2018, they had secured the lease for a former vegan restaurant on East 300 South. They rolled up their sleeves, working with what was already there and shaping it into something entirely their own.
The name Oquirrh was a "deliberate" choice. “Everything here is named Wasatch,” Angelena said. “We wanted something different. Oquirrh felt romantic - and it was tied to the mountains we love, the view we cherish, and the inside joke we’ve always shared about where we come from.”
Angelena was born and raised in Taylorsville, not far from downtown Salt Lake. At fifteen, after not making the cheer team, she got her first job at Sizzler - a start that would lead to a long and varied career in hospitality. She was briefly hired by Continental Airlines to be a flight attendant, but after 9/11, her training was halted, and she was moved into a reservation center. The pay was low, so she returned to restaurants and never looked back.
Angelena worked at Joe’s Crab Shack, then learned the rhythms of fine dining at the Grand America and spent time at Glenwild Country Club before receiving a short-lived modeling contract in Los Angeles. “Life is funny,” she said, laughing. After three weeks in LA, she came back and landed at Happy Sumo, a sushi bar, where she realized she wanted to stay in the restaurant world. Over the years, she helped manage Stoneground, assisted with the transformation of GMX into the Garage on Beck, and served at Trio during its heyday. But it was at Copper Onion - where she worked for eight years and eventually met Andrew - that she truly found her stride. Later, she gained experience in the corporate restaurant world at Gordon Biersch, while simultaneously helping Takashi and Tamara open Post Office Place. Each experience sharpened her instincts, strengthened her leadership, and made it clear that she was not just passionate about the industry. She was meant for it.
Angelena and Andrew met at Copper Onion in 2010. He was a line cook. She was a server. They married in 2017 and now run Oquirrh together - Andrew in the kitchen, Angelena running the front of the house and everything else behind the scenes. “We don’t overstep our boundaries,” she said. “That’s how I was raised - at home and in restaurants. We respect each other’s space, and we’ve learned how to be together both here, and in the world outside.”
The space itself is warm and understated - gray walls, wooden chairs with black leather seats, and ever-changing local art on the walls. Angelena curates the rotating gallery, giving artists a chance to sell their work while transforming the ambiance every few months. “It’s one of my favorite things,” she said. “It makes the space feel alive.”
Oquirrh is not flashy. There are no white tablecloths, no pretense. But the food is exceptional. As Andrew described it, “We’re not avant-garde. We’re not trying to reinvent anything. We’re just trying to cook well and make people feel welcome.” And that quiet commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. In 2023, Salt Lake City Magazine named Oquirrh Outstanding Restaurant of the Year, and Andrew was recognized as a regional semifinalist in the prestigious James Beard Awards for chefs. The accolades reflect not only skill, but heart - something diners can taste in every plate.
Vera Budko, a server at Oquirrh, shared a glimpse of the current menu. The pastas are a standout: handmade tagliatelle with slow-braised beef, maitake mushrooms, charred kale, and house-made ricotta. A vegetarian bucatini features garlic scapes, chicory, breadcrumbs, and aged cheese. The New York strip is sliced to order and served with creamy house-made mashed potatoes and a delicate pan sauce. Even the cheese course - currently featuring sharp Lincolnshire and triple-cream La Tur - is thoughtful and refined. Nearly everything, from the sourdough bread to the pastas and ricotta, is made in house. The attention to detail is felt throughout the space as well as the meal itself. Birthday guests receive a small potted plant in lieu of a dessert with a candle. Anniversary couples are surprised with heart-shaped chocolates from Chez Nibs, a beloved Utah chocolatier. “Those little touches,” Angelena said, “they matter.”
“I’m absolutely still passionate about cooking,” Andrew said. “But I’ve evolved, not just as a chef, but as a business owner. I’m not exactly who I thought I’d be. I wish I had more time for the creative side, but running a business takes a lot. Still, I try to keep things balanced. That’s important.”
In the end, Oquirrh is special not because it is reinventing food, but because it is built on love, integrity, and trust. As Andrew said, “There are a lot of great restaurants out there. But this one is ours. It’s me and Angie. And that’s what makes it different.” And Angie added, “We’re lucky. We really do love what we do. We built this together, and it shows.”
