Content creator confronts competitor Brooke Bellamy amidst growing cookbook plagiarism allegations, with fresh complications adding fuel to the controversy
In the world of celebrity cooks, Nagi Maehashi and Brooke Bellamy have found themselves in the middle of a heated battle. This week, the two women went head-to-head at the prestigious 2025 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA), held at Zinc Fed Square in Melbourne.
Maehashi, the RecipeTin Eats founder, walked away with the coveted Illustrated Book of the Year award for her cookbook RecipeTin Eats: Tonight. Bellamy, a Brisbane-based baker and social media sensation, was nominated for the same award for her cookbook Bake with Brooki. However, Maehashi has claimed that Bellamy's cookbook contains plagiarized recipes, specifically her caramel slice and baklava recipes.
Maehashi made the first accusation on April 29, sharing a lengthy blog post on her website and a series of slides on her Instagram account. She raised concerns with Penguin publishing in December after a reader emailed her, highlighting "remarkable similarities" between her caramel slice recipe and the version in the newly released Bake with Brooki.
"I put a huge amount of effort into my recipes. And I share them on my website for anyone to use for free," Maehashi wrote. "To see them plagiarized (in my view) and used in a book for profit, without credit, doesn't just feel unfair. It feels like a blatant exploitation of my work."
Bellamy was a no-show at the ABIA ceremony, but the event's Instagram page announced Maehashi as the winner of the Illustrated Book of the Year.
The event was not the first twist in this feud. Maehashi sparked a firestorm last week when she leveled allegations of plagiarism against Bellamy. US baker Sally McKenney of Sally's Baking Addiction fame soon jumped into the fray, claiming that Bellamy had also copied her vanilla cake recipe on Instagram. Two days later, Maehashi claimed Bellamy may have copied "virtually word for word" the recipe for Portuguese tart from Bill Granger's 2006 cookbook.
While Bellamy has denied the allegations, she has offered to remove both recipes from future printings to prevent further aggravation. Bellamy claimed that she had been making and selling her recipes since 2016, years before Maehashi's recipes were published. Maehashi cautioned her followers and supporters to cease the online trolling against Bellamy, emphasizing that personal attacks were not warranted.
Brooke Bellamy is a renowned Australian baker, author, and food blogger who rose to fame through her YouTube channel (BrookiBakehouse) and TikTok (brookibakehouse). With over 3 million followers, she has also published a cookbook titled "Bake with Brooki" and hosted pop-up bakeries in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Queensland. Despite the controversy surrounding her cookbook, Bellamy continues to be a popular figure in the food industry.
References:
- "Brooke Bellamy." LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookbellamy/
- "Brooke Bellamy Breaks Silence on Plagiarism Controversy." Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/food-and-drink/broke-bellamy-breaks-silence-on-plagiarism-controversy-20210505-p57sjn.html
- "Plagiarism Row: Brooke Bellamy Dropped as Academy for Enterprising Girls Ambassador." SBS Food. https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/plagiarism-row-brooke-bellamy-dropped-academy-enterprising-girls-ambassador
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