Brooke Bellamy breaks silence over copycat allegations
Last month, fellow celeb chef and RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi publicly accused Bellamy of copying her recipes for her popular new cookbook, Bake with Brooki.
Maehashi later also accused Bellamy of copying recipes from other renowned foodies, including late Aussie chef Bill Granger.
As the claims against her mounted, Bellamy – usually a prolific user of social media – went to ground. In a new post to her Instagram account yesterday – the first posted to her grid since April 28, the day the scandal broke – Bellamy addressed her extended absence.
'Since opening my bakery three years ago and sharing my life online, I've never had such a long break between videos but I've also never experienced something like I have over the last few weeks,' she began.
Bellamy said opening her own bakery had been her lifelong dream, and came after she travelled the world 'in search of the best bakeries'.
She cited her mother as the biggest inspiration in her cooking, as she 'learned to cook and bake with her in the kitchen growing up.'
'When I was invited to write a cookbook I was really excited to share all of the recipes that I've been making since I was small. These recipes have been written down on paper, been handed to me by friends and family, they get passed down through generations, they gets scaled up and scaled down in the bakery setting,' Bellamy said.
'While all of these recipes are personal to me, I cannot say that I have invented the cookies, cupcakes, brownies or cakes in the recipe book. They are all inspired from somewhere and someone before me. I never subscribe to be a part of a narrative that pits two women against each other, especially in the same industry. I think there's room for everyone, especially more women in business,' she said.
Bellamy finished by saying that this public statement was 'all [she'd] say about it, and that she was keen to refocus on her business and her love of baking.
Those recipe copying allegations might have momentarily gripped Australia a few weeks back, but it seems not everyone was following the controversy – even among Bellamy's own fanbase.
'I'm confused. Did Brooke get accused of something?' reads the top-rated comment under the post.
Fellow author and cook Maehashi accused Bellamy of plagiarising several recipes in her best-selling book, Bake with Brooki. As public outrage grew, Maehashi later called on social media trolls to stop personal attacks towards Bellamy.
'Now I know I've made serious allegations. But this does not justify the personal attacks that I've seen online against Brooke Bellamy. I do not support it and I'm asking you to stop,' she said.
Bellamy had shared a statement with news.com.au in the days following the allegations being aired, saying the backlash she had faced since the accusations first emerged had been 'deeply distressing' both for her and her family.
'The past 24 hours have been extremely overwhelming,' she said/
'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.'
Bellamy went on to insist that she has never copied another baker's recipe, and instead has only ever 'drawn inspiration' for her own creations.
'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.'
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