In brief
Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney claim influencer Brooke Bellamy plagiarized their recipes in her cookbook. While Bellamy denies wrongdoing, the dispute has sparked a debate over copyright in the culinary world.
Two prominent cookbook authors are embroiled in a dispute with TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy, who they accuse of copying their recipes. Nagi Maehashi, known for her website RecipeTin Eats, claims that Bellamy's cookbook features "word-for-word similarities" to her own recipes. Bellamy, the owner of Brooki Bakehouse, has fiercely denied these allegations, stating that her recipes are original creations developed over years.The controversy gained traction when Maehashi highlighted striking similarities between her caramel slice recipe and the one featured in Bellamy's cookbook, "Bake with Brooki." In her defense, Bellamy noted that one of the contested recipes was created before Maehashi published hers. Shortly after Maehashi's allegations, US author Sally McKenney also accused Bellamy of copying her vanilla cake recipe.Despite Bellamy's claim of respect for Maehashi, the influencer and her publisher, Penguin Random House Australia, have strongly denied the allegations. Bellamy even offered to remove the recipes from future editions to avoid further conflict. Both Best-Selling cookbooks are nominated for the Australian Book Industry Awards which has fueled further discussions about originality and inspiration in culinary creations.
