RecipeTin Eat‘s founder Nagi Maehashi has come out on top of Brooke Bellamy at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) just one week after accusing her fellow cookbook author of plagiarism.
On Wednesday night, the brightest literary sparks in the country gathered in Melbourne for the glitzy event. Nagi’s recipe book Tonight and Brooke’s Bake With Brooki were both up for the Illustrated Book of the Year category.
In the end, it was Nagi and her publisher Pan McMillan, who claimed the coveted award. She took to Instagram early Thursday morning to share her joy.
“To my team — thank you for your support for all those months I disappeared into the book-making black-hole (and all that Moroccan lamb and seafood pie you taste tested🤣).
“Pan McMillan, this one’s for you. For the whole team. I am proud to call you my publisher. Success and integrity. WE DID IT!!!”
Although Sydney-based Nagi was in attendance of the Melbourne ceremony, Brisbane-based Brooke did not appear to attend.
I think it’s fair to admit that usually, the public wouldn’t be closely following an industry book award night. However, thanks to the plagiarism allegations Nagi went public with last week, all eyes have been on the literary award night.
According to the Australian Publishers Association’s chief executive, Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson, the judges don’t just consider the book itself but everything that goes into it.
“The industry judges cast their eagle eyes over the whole process of bringing books to consumers — from editing the manuscript through to the sales, marketing and publicity,” she told The Guardian.
In case you’ve somehow missed the drama, the Aussie food world was hit with a doozy of a scandal when Nagi accused fellow author and TikTok star Brooke and her publisher, Penguin Random House, of copying her recipes.
Nagi went public with allegations that Brooke had ripped off her recipes for Caramel Slice and Baklava in Bake With Brooki by posting an article on her website and a carousel post on Instagram with the allegations. Nagi also alleged that a recipe for the late Bill Granger‘s Portuguese Tarts has been copied.
Fellow baking influencer Sally McKenny has backed up Nagi’s claims by alleging that Brooke has copied her recipe for The Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had.
Both Brooke and Penguin Random House have vehemently denied the allegations.
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