The Australian food community is in an uproar as TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy faces allegations from cookbook authors Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney, who claim her recipes closely mimic theirs. While Bellamy defends her culinary creativity, the incident prompts broader discussions about inspiration and originality in recipe development.
Controversy Erupts as Influencer Faces Plagiarism Claims Over Cookbooks
Controversy Erupts as Influencer Faces Plagiarism Claims Over Cookbooks
Two notable authors accuse TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy of copying recipes in her cookbook, igniting a debate about originality in the culinary world.
Two notable cookbook authors, Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney, have raised accusations of plagiarism against TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy, citing striking similarities between their recipes and those featured in Bellamy’s latest cookbook. Maehashi, the creator of the popular food website RecipeTin Eats, claims that Bellamy's cookbook, "Bake with Brooki," includes recipes that are "word-for-word similarities" to her own creations. One such recipe, accused of copying, is a caramel slice which Maehashi has highlighted in a comparison post on her website.
In response to the allegations, Bellamy, who runs the bakery Brooki Bakehouse with three Queensland locations, staunchly defended her work, asserting that the 100 recipes in her book are uniquely her creations developed over years. She mentions that one recipe, allegedly copied, predates Maehashi’s publication. The controversy intensified when McKenney, known for her popular baking blog Sally's Baking Addiction, also accused Bellamy of replicating her vanilla cake recipe.
Maehashi expressed frustration at the situation, claiming that she felt a "blatant exploitation" of her work and had taken legal steps after Bellamy’s publishers, Penguin Random House Australia, initially responded with what Maehashi described as "legal intimidation." Despite the backlash, Penguin and Bellamy have firmly denied any wrongdoing, with the publisher affirming that the recipes were authored by Bellamy.
In a bid to ease tensions, Bellamy stated her willingness to remove the contested recipes from future reprints of her book, maintaining that recipe inspiration is common in the culinary community. This situation has sparked important discussions regarding originality and respect for creators in the food industry, further complicated as both cookbooks have been nominated for prestigious Australian Book Industry Awards.
