Recipes in Controversy: Australian Influencer Accused of Plagiarism

Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney have accused influencer Brooke Bellamy of plagiarizing their recipes in her cookbook, "Bake with Brooki." While Maehashi provides side-by-side comparisons and claims of legal intimidation, Bellamy insists her recipes are original, citing her creative processes. The dispute highlights ongoing challenges of intellectual property in the world of recipe development.

Food authors Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney have publicly accused TikTok star and influencer Brooke Bellamy of plagiarism, alleging that her cookbook "Bake with Brooki" contains recipes that bear striking resemblances to their own. Maehashi, the creator of the popular food website RecipeTin Eats, claims that her caramel slice and baklava recipes have "word-for-word similarities" with Bellamy's versions.

In response, Bellamy, who also runs three Brooki Bakehouse locations in Queensland and boasts a following of two million on TikTok, firmly rejected the accusations. She asserts that her cookbook, released in October 2024, contains "100 recipes I have created over many years," and emphasized that one recipe in question predated Maehashi's publication.

The controversy ignited when Maehashi claimed her readers pointed out the "remarkable similarities" in the recipes and shared a detailed comparison on her website. Additionally, McKenney, the author behind the successful food blog Sally's Baking Addiction, accused Bellamy of appropriating her vanilla cake recipe.

In light of these allegations, Maehashi expressed her frustration over the situation, describing it as a violation of her work. She has engaged legal counsel and reached out to Bellamy's publisher, Penguin Random House Australia. The publisher confirmed in a response that the recipes were indeed written by Bellamy and denied any wrongdoing.

Despite maintaining her innocence, Bellamy made an effort to mitigate the situation by proposing to remove the contested recipes in future editions of her book, indicating that she values her relationship with Maehashi. She expressed her admiration for Maehashi but defended her right to claim ownership over her recipes, noting that the culinary community often draws inspiration from each other.

With both Maehashi's and Bellamy's cookbooks nominated for the Australian Book Industry Awards this year, the fallout from this incident may influence their standing and the broader discourse on recipe originality in the culinary world. McKenney also emphasized the importance of recognizing original creators, particularly as their works gain commercial success.