In the noisy bustle of London’s West End, I have been looking for sanctuaries of quietness and contemplation. I found them in the back alleys and doorways of Chinatown.
At night, when the countless restaurants compete for tourists and theatregoers, throngs of visitors collide with Chinatown’s tight-knit ethnic community. By the time the restaurants open, some of the kitchen staff have already been working since early morning. Many of them are recent immigrants who speak little more than a few words of English. Some will have clocked more than 60 hours when the week is over.
Portraits of Larry Love (aka Rob Spragg) and The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love (aka Jake Black).
Founded in Brixton 1995, Alabama 3 achieved success when the producers of hit TV series The Sopranos chose the track "Woke Up This Morning" for the show's opening credits.
A new and revised edition of Smoking Chefs is now available from the book shop.
The third edition features a number of new images from the 吸烟的厨师 series not included with the first two editions of the book, which have now sold out.
96 pages, 52 colour plates, 210 x 210mm, £18
“Quietly intimate, the photos that make up Smoking Chefs hum with a sense of behind the scenes stillness that keeps us going back to them time and time again.”
– It's Nice That, April 2019