New details have emerged in the bitter divorce battle between the chefs of a popular Los Angeles restaurant – as they continue to accuse each other of horrific acts including animal abuse.
Elizabeth Johnson, 32, and Will Aghajanian, 31, the heads behind celebrity hotspot Horses, came to national attention earlier this month after claiming he tortured and killed their cat in a demand for divorce.
In papers filed last November, Johnson said she was emotionally and physically abused by Aghajanian and sought a domestic violence restraining order, saying she feared for both her safety and that of the dogs in the couple because she knew “up to 14 animals”. he had abused it.
Johnson claimed she did not realize Aghajanian was abusing and killing the animals because she had been psychologically abused and believed her explanations for the deaths.
Now a fuller picture of their relationship has emerged, with New York magazine food street reporting additional disturbing details about the couple’s history, which is filled with accusations of animal abuse and cruelty.
Elizabeth Johnson and Will Aghajanian, the chefs behind famed hotspot Horses, are going through a bitter divorce
The couple’s restaurant Horses opened in September 2021, received rave reviews and was an instant celebrity favorite
Aghajanian blamed Johnson for the pets’ deaths and claims he was the one who was abused, saying in a court filing that Johnson bragged about his father catching squirrels to drown.
Along with the court filing, Aghajanian filed screenshots of texts with Johnson, including one where she threatened to kill their dog Pancho.
In a 2018 text, Johnson wrote: “If I get famous, will anyone ever find out about pancskes [sic] or cats.’
‘No. I love you, replied Aghajanian.
The shocking report includes testimony from sources who claimed to have witnessed Aghajanian’s alleged taste for animal cruelty and a history of racist comments.
People who worked with Aghajanian at the Per Se restaurant in New York told Grub Street that Aghajanian insisted on buying live turtles and slaughtering them himself.
Former colleagues at the Nashville restaurant Catbird claimed he once brought in a crate of frozen rabbits and had his staff hack into the animal’s skulls and remove its brains as part of a a project”.
When an employee said he was done with the project, Aghajanian reportedly said he just wanted to know “how long everyone would be doing this.”
At the same restaurant, he allegedly told the staff that the only allergies that exist are shellfish and tree nuts and to ignore all other allergies. Aghajanian is also accused of saying “Hitler had some very good ideas” while at Catbird.
The couple were fired from Catbird after complaints that they fought in the kitchen and that Aghajanian was abusive to both Johnson and staff.
During their stay at Mimi’s restaurant in New York, Aghajanian regularly verbally abused Johnson, with a former colleague claiming she saw him burn Johnson with a pair of hot tongs.
Shocking report includes testimony from sources who claimed to have witnessed Aghajanian’s alleged taste for animal cruelty and history of racist comments
The couple accused each other of killing and torturing animals
In her divorce filing, Aghajanian claimed it was Johnson who intentionally burned him after he got angry over overcooked chicken, leaving a scar. A source close to Johnson denied that claim.
Along with the abuse allegations, former colleagues of the couple have also said their cats always seem to die mysteriously. While working at Mimi’s, three cats died without explanation.
“I remember telling them, ‘This is getting weird. Maybe you shouldn’t keep trying to get cats,” a former colleague told Grub Street.
The couple also had a dead cat while working at Catbird in Nashville. Former colleagues told the outlet they thought it was odd that they got a cat because Aghajanian was open about his disdain for animals.
Aghajanian denied any wrongdoing mentioned in the Grub Street exhibit.
Johnson and Aghajanian met as interns at the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen before getting engaged in 2013 and moving to New York.
Aghajanian remains on Horse’s payroll but has stepped away from day-to-day operations as Johnson has taken control.
Johnson also asked that Aghajanian stay 100 yards away from their dogs, Pancho, Javi and Spud, according to the filing.
In her November divorce filings, Johnson said Aghajanian alleged that in 2019, Aghajanian dragged her by her legs on the floor as she screamed and tried to resist.
The filing alleged that Aghajanian was responsible for the deaths of their two cats.
“Will and I had cats that mysteriously ended up dying, including one in 2017 that I took to a shelter when he was badly injured overnight. The shelter told me she had been severely abused, but Will denied it.
‘I believed him. Then last month we were given another kitten,’ she wrote, explaining that it wasn’t long before that kitten died too, after he said that he didn’t love her.
Johnson and Aghajanian’s Horses Restaurant opened in September 2021 to rave reviews and was an instant celebrity favourite.
It was on Eater LA’s “heat map” of “hottest new restaurants” for months and the Los Angeles Times called it “LA’s new modern institution” and “most exhilarating new dining experience.” of the city over the past year”.
