Former Oma head chef joins new burger and Champagne restaurant as executive chef

Jorge Paredes, the former head chef of the Michelin-starred Oma in London’s Borough Market, has been appointed executive chef of upcoming burger and Champagne restaurant Milk Burger in London’s Notting Hill.

Milk Burger was founded by hospitality entrepreneurs Alina Kosichkina and Dima Zakhodiakin, who built a portfolio of 32 restaurants in Kyiv before relocating to London following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022.

The pair have brought 20 years’ industry experience to launch their first restaurant in London on 5 October.

Paredes was previously executive chef at Sabor under Nieves Barragán before becoming head chef at David Carter’s Oma and Agora. He led the acclaimed restaurant to its first Michelin star in 2025.

Milk Burger will serve an “elevated burger menu with Champagne”, with dishes such as bone marrow and truffle burger, Cuban sandwich and fried cherry pie for dessert.

The interiors have been designed by David Archer, who has worked on Chiltern Firehouse in London’s Marylebone and the Standard in London’s King’s Cross.

Paredes said: “There’s a real discipline in cooking something simple properly. A burger doesn’t give you anywhere to hide – the produce, the seasoning, the technique all have to be right. That’s what excites me about Milk Burger: bringing the same standards I’d apply in a formal kitchen to food that’s meant to be eaten with your hands and enjoyed without ceremony.”

Kosichkina, founder of Milk Burger, added: “Every project we start always comes from something we personally want. I take burgers very seriously. We opened our first burger restaurant in 2013, and right now I feel burgers and comfort food in general are having a real moment. People are tired of overly-complicated food, but at the same time we care more and more about the quality of what we eat. So why not bring those two things together?

“For me, there is nothing better than a burger or sandwich made with the best possible ingredients, paired with great Champagne, wine or a cocktail. Somewhere you can come at any time of the day, without the restaurant closing between lunch and dinner, have something really delicious at a fair price and enjoy it in a beautiful interior. That’s exactly the kind of place we wanted Milk Burger to be.”