Two cookbook authors have leveled serious accusations against TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy, alleging that she has copied several of their recipes in her cookbook "Bake with Brooki". Nagi Maehashi, the creator behind the highly popular food website RecipeTin Eats, stated that Bellamy’s book contains "word-for-word similarities" to her own recipes. Bellamy, who also owns the Brooki Bakehouse chain in Queensland, has refuted the claims, insisting that her book features "100 recipes I have created over many years", and asserts that some were conceived before Maehashi's publication.
The controversy escalated when US author Sally McKenney also accused Bellamy of plagiarizing her vanilla cake recipe. Maehashi highlighted that a reader alerted her to the "remarkable similarities" between her caramel slice recipe and one in "Bake with Brooki". She later identified further similarities, including a baklava recipe, and provided a side-by-side comparison of her original recipes.
Maehashi, who has written two cookbooks and attracts about 45 million page views monthly to her blog, expressed her frustrations over challenges with Bellamy’s publisher, Penguin Random House Australia. She indicated that legal intimidation tactics were employed when she sought to address her concerns about copyright infringement. “To see them plagiarised and used in a book for profit, without permission, and without credit, doesn't just feel unfair,” she commented.
Despite denying any wrongdoing, Penguin and Bellamy responded by affirming that the recipes credited belong solely to Bellamy. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Bellamy claimed she offered to remove the contested recipes from future editions of her book in a bid to avert further conflict. She also expressed her respect for Maehashi, but stood firmly behind her recipe claims on social media, stating that recipe development today often draws inspiration from various sources.
Both Maehashi's and Bellamy's cookbooks have been recognized in the current Australian Book Industry Awards, raising questions of originality and respect within culinary circles. Meanwhile, McKenney echoed similar sentiments on her online platform, emphasizing the importance of recognizing original recipe developers, especially in a bestselling context.
