Nagi Maehashi, a prominent Australian chef known for her culinary prowess, has publicly accused fellow influencer Brooke Bellamy of copying her recipes for Bellamy’s popular cookbook, “Bake with Brooki.” To put that in perspective, Bellamy’s book has sold an astonishing 92,849 copies since its release earlier this year. Now, controversy has arisen in the shadow of this success. Maehashi claims that two recipes in “Bake with Brooki” bear remarkable similarities to her own creations: a caramel slice and baklava.
Last year, that feud reached a boiling point between the two cooks. They battled tooth and nail for the much vaunted Christmas number one position on the paperback charts. Maehashi’s book, “Tonight,” faced off against Bellamy’s “Bake with Brooki,” adding a layer of tension to the unfolding drama. Maehashi got real about what’s going down. For weeks, she wrestled with the decision of whether to air her grievances in public.
In a detailed account, Maehashi asserted that Bellamy’s caramel slice recipe closely resembled one she has been making and selling for four years. She called out the fact that both chefs are cooking with the same ingredients—which she thinks is deeply unfair. To her credit, Maehashi presented a side by side shot of her baklava recipe. She compared it to Bellamy’s similar rendition from the cookbook.
“But seeing what I believe to be my recipes and my words printed in a multi-million dollar book launched with a huge publicity campaign from one of Australia’s biggest publishers was shocking.” – Nagi Maehashi
Brooke Bellamy hotly denied the charges. She took to Instagram to break down her side of the story. She shared that she’s been using and developing recipes like this for almost 10 years. Bellamy, whose aesthetics and instincts are imprinted all over the vibrant culinary scene in Australia, said Maehashi’s influence was pivotal.
“I did not plagiarize any recipes in my book,” – Brooke Bellamy
Bellamy was hoping to defuse the incident without violence. She suggested the offending recipes not included in the book already be deleted from future versions of her cookbook to minimize further contention. Even more surprising was the support from her own publisher, Penguin, which denied the plagiarism claims and called them “harassment.”
Maehashi has always been convinced the similarities in their recipes are not just a coincidence. She defends her call with an admirable self-assurance. She pointed out that a lot of recipes just end up looking the same because there’s only so many ways you can cook something. The depth and acuteness with which they query those exact cases is alarming.
“While recipes can resemble one another, because there are only so many ways some recipes can be made, the precision and detail in the similarities in this case are, in my opinion, far too strong to be a coincidence,” – Nagi Maehashi
The stakes in this fight could not be higher. Maehashi calculates that the purportedly plagiarized work represents up to $4.6 million in lost sales for her. This drop in revenue has added another layer of tension to an already volatile situation. It introduces unnecessary heat into a battle royale between two titans on today’s culinary landscape.
While chefs battle in this very public spat, Maehashi said that even with the accusations flying, she has deep respect for Bellamy. She acknowledged Bellamy’s impact as a content creator and her work in the cookbook space.
“I have great respect for Nagi and what she has done for cooks content creators and cookbooks in Australia.” – Brooke Bellamy
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