When Nick Hillier contacted us a few months ago wanting to do a photo series on London-based sous chefs, we jumped at it. Head chefs, understandably, get the spotlight and praise when a restaurant does well. But chat to any of them and they’ll invariably praise their team as invaluable to that success. 

And so to four rising stars of London’s food scene, all doing brilliant things in their own right. We’ve kept info about them to a minimum, to allow Nick’s photography, and the chefs, to shine.

This is part 2 of a 4-part series, also featuring Thomas Ward of Pophams, Marios Lathourakis of The Waterhouse Project and Joseph Carvell of Smokestak.

AIKA.

Aika Levins is the sous chef at The Barbary and The Barbary Next Door. She assists the head chef with the day-to-day running of the kitchen and menu development. Originally from Japan, she's been living in London for almost 10 years.

Nick Hillier is a Canadian portrait and documentary photographer living in London. He loves capturing real and intimate moments with his subjects and revealing a side to people, places and things that we don't often see.