Chef Will Aghajanian's back in a new kitchen in Bandra

When Chef Will Aghajanian steps into the kitchen at Kaspers Bandrarsquos new neighbourhood bistro the room will not suggest the storm attached to his name But outside the kitchen his past is hard to ignoreIn 2023 Grub Street journalist Ezra Marcus published an explosive investigation into Aghajanianrsquos life both inside and outside the kitchen Former colleagues accused him of animal cruelty and described a culture of intimidation The piece also referenced a restraining order by his thenwife chef Liz Johnson who accused him of domestic and emotional abuse and killing their catAghajanianrsquos professional life collapsed almost instantly The Los Angeles restaurant Horses where he and Johnson were once the golden couple shut downHis New York project Froggyrsquos dissolved And in the American food and beverage scene mdash sensitive to misconduct postMeToo mdash Aghajanian became as one chef quoted in the story put it ldquountouchablerdquoWill AghajanianSo how did he end up here shaping menus at Colabarsquos acclaimed The Table and now fronting Kaspers one of Bandrarsquos buzziest new openingsFor restaurateurs Gauri Devidayal and Jay Yousuf the answer began in 2018 long before the controversy ldquoWe first met him when he came to India for a monthrdquo Devidayal recalls ldquoHe did a dinner at Magazine Street Kitchen and we really loved his food and his cookingrdquo They stayed in touch and over the years casual messages turned into an opportunityWhen The Table was looking for a new chef two years ago Devidayal and Yousuf invited him back ldquoHe had a concept he had been thinking about and we had a locationrdquo Devidayal says ldquoWersquore enjoying the direction the menu has taken at The Table So we were happy to do another concept on a similar cuisine orientationrdquoYousuf who describes their philosophy as strictly ingredientdriven simple but high quality adds ldquoThe space dictated what we did Kaspers is a small cosy neighbourhood bistro It felt rightrdquoAnd what about the allegations The restaurateurs are clear about one thing they knew Aghajanian long before the reportage ldquoThese media reports are just thathellip media reportsrdquo Devidayal says ldquoThe matter is sub judice He has filed a defamation case against Johnson and we prefer to let the judicial system run its course If the outcome is not in his favour then obviously that is something we would look intordquoAghajanian disputes the narrative ldquoHave you seen the movie Gone Girlrdquo he asks referring to the fictional thriller about a woman who constructs a meticulous revenge campaign against her husband ldquoShe referring to Johnson wanted the house both businesses and the dogs You can curate how you are going to take things downrdquo he saysGauri Devidayal and Jay YousufHe insists the allegations were constructed and that the USrsquos defamation laws make it impossible to fight back He frames the larger story as a hostile takeover of his career but acknowledges his mistakes and says he needs to hire more carefullyIf Los Angeles was the site of collapse Mumbai is for him a reset India is both a homecoming and a restart he says ldquoMy mom grew up in Delhi for a few years so I always wanted to come to Indiardquo He eventually agreed to the move after a period of transition ldquoI just wanted to get back in the kitchenrdquo he says ldquoIt was like a restart Go away from the Western world find food put my head down and cookrdquoHe describes Indiarsquos food scene as ldquoupandcomingrdquo and generous ldquoEverybodyrsquos friendlyhellip There arenrsquot that many competitive peoplerdquo Cooking here he says has sharpened him ldquoIn America vegetarian food is a salad or pasta Here you really learn how to cook vegetarian foodhellip You make it betterrdquoHe speaks animatedly about local seafood like baby cuttlefish ldquothe size of a fingerrdquo Sassoon Dock finds and ingredients that would be impossible to get in America India forces creativity he says ldquoYou have to do a little bit more work here In the US you can build a menu by ordering everything from the same supplier Itrsquos too easy Here you have to work harder You get something incredible one day and then itrsquos gone So you cook more creativelyrdquoOn the ground Devidayal and Yousuf credit him with bringing fresh energy to The Table Over a year and a half they phased in a new menu with 80 to 85 per cent new dishes For a 14yearold restaurant with diehard favourites this was a bold moveWhat sealed their confidence wasnrsquot just his talent it was his willingness to adapt ldquoEvery expat chef needs time to understand the palate hererdquo Devidayal says ldquoYou canrsquot cook the same way you did in San Francisco or New York and expect it to workrdquoShe admired that he learned quickly ldquoHe was always very open to feedback Thatrsquos not a small thingrdquo she says ldquoTherersquos a sixmonth period where you have to be openminded and understand what diners respond to how far you can push how big the vegetarian community is how different ingredients behave hererdquoWhat surprised her most was how he handled Indian ingredients ldquoHe highlighted things even we hadnrsquot done justice to before Something as simple as bheja mdash you never see it on finedining menus but itrsquos such a big part of Indian street food Now itrsquos on our menu and people love itrdquoFor the team it felt like a rediscovery of The Table ldquoWe began to have fun againrdquo she says ldquoHe challenged our diners all over again in a good wayrdquoThe team led by longtime collaborator Chef Louis Gomes sees it as skill exchange not hierarchy ldquoOur chefs recognise their strengths are operations and execution and they learn from the creativityrdquo Yousuf saysldquoThere is respect both waysrdquoAghajanian hopes Kaspers becomes the place where Bandra residents return two or three times a week ldquoLike a Cheers barrdquo he says ldquoBy the end of the night everyonersquos moving around tables Itrsquos fun It feels like a dinner party every nightrdquoThe question is not whether his food is good it is But can a chef with such a past rebuild in a new country without public transparency For now Devidayal and Yousuf are standing by him Diners are still discovering the new bistro And Aghajanian continues to do what he insists he wants most cookWhatrsquos the caseIn 2023 Grub Street journalist Ezra Marcus published an explosive investigation into Aghajanianrsquos life both inside and outside the kitchen Former colleagues accused him of animal cruelty and described a culture of intimidation The piece also referenced a restraining order by his thenwife chef Liz Johnson who accused him of domestic and emotional abuse and killing their cat