Recipe Controversy: Australian Influencer Accused of Plagiarizing Cookbook Creations

Two cookbook authors, Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney, have accused Australian influencer Brooke Bellamy of copying their recipes in her bestselling cookbook. Maehashi highlighted "word-for-word similarities" in her recipes, while Bellamy stands by her work, claiming originality. The incident raises questions about copyright and recipe development in the culinary world.

Two prominent cookbook authors are embroiled in a controversy with Australian influencer Brooke Bellamy, who is accused of plagiarizing recipes in her popular cookbook. Nagi Maehashi, the founder of the widely frequented food website RecipeTin Eats, claimed that Bellamy’s cookbook contains recipes that are almost identical to her own, calling them "word-for-word similarities."

In response, Bellamy, who owns the well-received Brooki Bakehouse and has a substantial following on TikTok, defended her position, asserting that her publication, filled with "100 recipes I have created over many years," is entirely original. She noted that at least one of the disputed recipes predates Maehashi’s publication, offering a counterpoint to the allegations.

Following Maehashi's accusations, U.S. cookbook author Sally McKenney also claimed that her vanilla cake recipe was copied by Bellamy. Maehashi pointed out that a reader alerted her to the striking similarities between her caramel slice recipe and Bellamy's rendition in her best-selling cookbook, Bake with Brooki. A thorough examination revealed similarities between Maehashi's baklava recipe and Bellamy's as well.

Maehashi, who has written two cookbooks and launched her website in 2014, reports a staggering monthly readership of 45 million page views. Meanwhile, Bellamy established her three Brooki Bakehouse branches in Queensland in 2022 and has risen to fame as a TikTok baker with two million followers.

In the wake of the allegations, Maehashi reached out to Bellamy’s publisher, Penguin Random House Australia, which engaged legal assistance in response to her concerns, leading to what she described as legal intimidation. Maehashi expressed her frustration about what she perceived as blatant exploitation of her culinary creations: "It feels unfair to see them plagiarized…and used in a book for profit, without permission and without credit."

In spite of these claims, both Penguin and Bellamy have vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Penguin issued a statement affirming that "the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy." If the matter wasn’t complex enough, Bellamy expressed her willingness to remove the contested recipes from future editions of her book to mitigate further tension, insisting that she has "great respect for Nagi," while standing firm on her culinary credibility in a series of Instagram posts.

Both Maehashi's and Bellamy's cookbooks have garnered nominations for this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards. Meanwhile, McKenney, the creator behind the website Sally’s Baking Addiction, emphasized the importance of giving credit to original recipe developers: "Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit—especially in a best-selling cookbook."