Top chef weighs in RecipeTin Eats plagiarism allegations and reveals stolen recipes are ‘pretty common’

A top chef has weighed in on the RecipeTin Eats plagiarism allegations, after Brooke Bellamy was accused of copying the recipes of fellow Australian cook Nagi Maehashi in her popular book, Bake With Brooki.  

Ben Shewry, a New Zealand chef based in Australia, said during an appearance on The Project on Wednesday that plagiarism is an ongoing issue in his industry.

‘I mean, look, I guess she feels like she’s defending herself. I can’t speak for her. I don’t know her’ the chef and author, who works at Attica in Melbourne, began. 

‘I would say more broadly that plagiarism in recipes is pretty common’ he continued. 

‘And for people that create recipes like me, to have them copied and not accredited is hugely frustrating.’

Shewry says that he has been having his own recipes nicked, ‘from the very first year of our restaurant.’

A top chef has weighed in on the RecipeTin Eats plagiarism allegations, after Brooke Bellamy (pictured) was accused of copying the recipes of fellow Australian cook Nagi Maehashi in her popular book, Bake With Brooki. Bellamy has denied the allegations

‘Particularly that’s when plagiarism is a real gut punch. When you’re starting out’ he explained. 

‘I think in the later years, I find it annoying because a person that doesn’t give credit to other people for their inspiration, just doesn’t know themselves. 

‘But in some ways the hilarity of plagiarism is that it’s driven us to make more new things.’  

It comes after a second author has accused social media cooking sensation Brooke Bellamy of stealing recipes for her bestselling cookbook Bake With Brooki.

Hours after RecipeTin Eats’ Nagi Maehashi raised allegations of copyright infringement on Tuesday night, Sally McKenney, the US author and blogger behind Sally’s Baking Addiction, also levelled claims.

Bellamy, who owns the popular Brooki Bakehouse in Brisbane, denied the accusations, saying she had been making and selling her recipes well before Maehashi’s were published.

The allegations relate to Maehashi’s caramel slice and baklava recipe, along with  McKenney’s Best Vanilla Cake recipe.

McKenney posted on social media, saying she was first alerted to the similarity months ago.

Ben Shewry (pictured), a New Zealand chef based in Australia, said during an appearance on The Project on Wednesday that plagiarism is an ongoing issue in his industry

She said her recipe was first published in 2019.

‘One of my recipes was also plagiarised in this book and also appears on the author’s YouTube channel,’ she said.

‘Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit – especially in a best selling cookbook.’

Bake With Brooki is a bestselling cookbook published by Penguin in October last year and retails for $49.99.

Bellamy quickly became a global sensation after sharing videos on TikTok, which receive millions of views each day.

She is best known for her cookies and has opened pop-up stores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Both Penguin and Bellamy deny the allegations.

‘I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years,’ she said.

Maehashi (pictured) has accused Ms Bellamy of ‘profiting’ from the alleged plagiarised recipes

Author Sally McKenney (above) accused Brooke Bellamy of stealing her Vanilla Cake recipe

‘In 2016, I opened my first bakery. I have been creating my recipes and selling them commercially since October 2016.’

Bellamy posted an image showing her caramel slice, which dated back to December, 2016.

‘On March 2020, RecipeTin Eats published a recipe for caramel slice. It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling since four years prior,’ she said.

While the Brisbane baker insisted she did not copy the recipes, she ‘immediately offered’ to remove both  from future reprints to prevent further aggravation’.

In Maehashi’s Instagram post, she described Bellamy of ‘profiting’ from the alleged plagiarised recipes.

Maehashi claims she first raised concerns with Penguin in December.

‘I put a huge amount of effort into my recipes. And I share them on my website for anyone to use for free,’ she said.

‘To see them plagiarised (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.’

 Maehashi is the founder of popular website, RecipeTin Eats, which has 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

She is also the author of award-winning cookbooks Dinner and Tonight.