They may be known for their cookies, dinners and recipe books, but RecipeTinEats’ Nagi Maehashi and Bake With Brooki’s Brooke Bellamy have BEEF. It all kicked off when Nagi accused Brooke of ripping off her recipes, and after a statement from Brooke denying the allegations, Nagi has clapped back yet again with another scalding hot statement.
Taking to Instagram Stories, Nagi claimed that the callout had been a long time coming.
“Reminder: I did not make the statement lightly and without doing serious groundwork,” Nagi wrote.
“I tried for almost six months, going back and forth with Penguin/Brooki. I hired lawyers.”
In her statement, Nagi said that she would receive no personal benefit from speaking up. In fact, she recognised that the ramifications could be negative for her and her business.
“I also did it knowing it would open the floodgates to haters, and no control over what the press will say,” Nagi continued.
“I have nothing to gain out of speaking up, except that I believe it’s the right thing to do. I do not want their money. I didn’t even ask for reimbursement of legal fees.”
Alongside the statement, Nagi also shared screenshots refuting the timeline that Brooke mentioned in her statement.
In Brooke’s statement, she claimed that she had been making and selling a caramel slice recipe which “uses the same ingredients” four years before Nagi posted her recipe for caramel slice in 2020. However, in a screenshot from the archived version of RecipeTinEats (which can still be found), Nagi’s caramel slice recipe is dated April 29, 2016.
Nagi’s original plagiarism claims were made public on Tuesday, with Brooke responding to them just hours later on Instagram.
“I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years, since falling in love with baking as a child and growing up baking with my mum in our home,” the statement read.
Brooke claimed she offered to remove both recipes from future reprints of her recipe book.
“Recipe development in today’s world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators. This willingness to share recipes and build on what has come before is what I love so much about baking and sharing recipes — the community that surrounds it,” the TikToker said.
“I stand by my love for baking, my recipes, and the joy this book has brought so many home bakers around the world to try recreating my recipes from inside their homes.”
Publisher Penguin Random House has denied any plagiarism allegations.
“Our client respectfully rejects your client’s allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy,” a spokesperson said.
Since Nagi went public with her plagiarism allegations, another food blogger has come forward alleging that her recipes were ripped off in Bake With Brooki.
American baking blogger Sally McKenny took to her own Instagram Stories claiming that Brooke copied a recipe for a vanilla cake.
“Nagi, you know how much I admire and support you — and I’m so grateful you let me know months ago that one of my recipes (The Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had, published by me in 2019) was also plagarised in this book and also appears on the author’s YouTube Channel,” Sally claimed.
“Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit — especially in a best-selling cookbook.”
Nagi re-shared Sally’s IG Story, adding: “Yes, Sally is one of the authors I reached out to. I recognised her vanilla cake because I’ve made it and it’s unique (it uses buttermilk). I’m sorry Sally. I know how hard you work on recipes too, and this is one of her signature famous recipes. You’re such a baking nerd, and you know I love it.”
In a statement to PEDESTRIAN.TV, the Brooki founder denied all allegations of plagiarism via her lawyers from Wilkinson Butler.
“The past 24 hours have been extremely overwhelming. I have had media outside my home and business, and have been attacked online. It has been deeply distressing for my colleagues and my young family,” she said.
“I do not copy other people’s recipes. Like many bakers, I draw inspiration from the classics, but the creations you see at Brooki Bakehouse reflect my own experience, taste, and passion for baking, born of countless hours of my childhood spent in my home kitchen with Mum.
“While baking has leeway for creativity, much of it is a precise science and is necessarily formulaic. Many recipes are bound to share common steps and measures: if they don’t, they simply don’t work.
“My priority right now is to ensure the welfare of the fantastic team at Brooki Bakehouse and that of my family.”
PEDESTRIAN.TV does not suggest the allegations of plagiarism or copyright infringement are true, only that they have been made.
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