Recipe Controversy: Influencers Clash Over Allegations of Plagiarism

Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney have accused TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy of copying recipes, leading to an ongoing legal dispute. As both sides present their arguments, the debate highlights the complexities of culinary creativity and copyright in the age of digital sharing.

Two well-known cookbook authors have taken to social media to accuse popular TikTok influencer Brooke Bellamy of stealing their recipes and using them in her recently published cookbook, "Bake with Brooki." Nagi Maehashi, the founder of the widely-followed food website RecipeTin Eats, states that several of her recipes bear "word-for-word similarities" to those in Bellamy's book.

Bellamy, who owns the Brooki Bakehouse in Queensland and boasts a large following on TikTok, firmly denies these allegations, asserting that her book features "100 recipes I have created over many years," with some recipes predating Maehashi's own. The controversy escalated when US author Sally McKenney raised similar concerns about Bellamy's vanilla cake recipe, claiming it mirrors her own creation.

Maehashi, whose RecipeTin Eats website garners an impressive 45 million views monthly, shared a side-by-side comparison that highlighted striking parallels between her caramel slice and baklava recipes and those featured in "Bake with Brooki." After receiving notice from a concerned reader, Maehashi contacted Penguin Random House Australia, Bellamy's publisher, leading to the involvement of legal counsel. She expressed her feelings of "blatant exploitation" and frustration over her work being used without proper credit or permission for profit.

Both Bellamy and Penguin have denied any wrongdoing, with the publisher asserting that the recipes were authored by Bellamy. To mitigate tensions, Bellamy claimed she offered to remove the recipes from future editions of her book, signaling her desire to address the issue. Despite this, she maintains her respect for Maehashi and believes that inspiration is a fundamental part of culinary creation today.

As the situation continues, the recipes in question remain a topic of heated discussion, particularly as both Maehashi and Bellamy aim for accolades at this year’s Australian Book Industry Awards. Meanwhile, McKenney reiterated the importance of acknowledging original recipe creators, emphasizing that they deserve recognition for their hard work in recipe development, especially in a context as public and profitable as a best-selling cookbook.