Brooke Bellamy loses federal business ambassadorship

Brooke Bellamy has been dropped as an ambassador for a program for young girls in business as she strenuously denies claims of copying recipes.

Brooke Bellamy at her Brisbane home on Wednesday

Brisbane baking queen Brooke Bellamy has been dropped as an ambassador for a federally funded program for young girls in business as she continues to strenuously deny claims from fellow celebrity chef Nagi Maehashi that she copied recipes for her hit cookbook.

Bellamy maintains she developed the recipes over a lifetime of cooking.

She was due to be named an ambassador for the Academy for Enterprising Girls, which would have seen her take part promotional activities in the coming months.

An academy spokesman said on Wednesday Bellamy would not continue in the role.

“Brooke Bellamy was recently engaged to conduct a small number of promotional activities for the Academy for Enterprising Girls program over the coming months,” he said.

“While we make no legal assessment on the allegations aired in the media, we have informed Bellamy that we will not move forward with the engagement at this time.”

It came as celebrity chef Luke Mangan said he had not been not credited appropriately for a butter chicken recipe Maehashi had used online and later in her own book.

“I couldn’t say off the top of my head whether she did reach out and ask permission or not, but I would have thought, in general, you would contact the person whose recipe it was,” he said.

“I wasn’t even aware she had used my recipe.”

Mangan said that while he was not aware of who Maehashi or Bellamy were, he expected all creators to seek permission to use others’ recipes.

“She has credited my recipe, but I would have preferred a bigger mention and at least linking people to our website,” he said.

The butter chicken recipe – adapted from Mangan’s version with the addition of salt and a low-fat cream option – appeared online with a footnote referencing Mangan, while in print he was not mentioned.

The printed version featured a QR code linking to the online credited version.

Maehashi declined to comment, however the book contained the statement that “the author and the publisher have made every effort to contact copyright holders for material used in this book”.

On Wednesday night, Maehashi shared a video of her with a batch of cookies, similar to one of Bellamy’s famous baked goods, that she had baked that day.

“Back to business. No more distractions,” Maehashi said.

“This is Biscoff-stuffed cookies. And, look at that. They look amazing. They’re perfect.”

Bellamy’s store, Brookie Bakehouse, is known for selling Biscoff-filled cookies as part of its product selection.

Mangan said few recipes existed that were not altered versions of someone else’s, but the key was to ensure there were significant differences.

“All of my recipes in my (seven) books are copyrighted, we own them, they are our intellectual property,” he said.

Brooke Bellamy at her Brisbane home on Wednesday

Bellamy and Maehashi are set to face off next week at the Australian book industry awards with both their best-selling cookbooks nominated for the 2025 Illustrated Book of the Year.

Maehashi’s RecipeTin Eats and Bellamy’s Bake With Brooki are among six titles shortlisted for the awards, to be held in Melbourne’s Federation Square on Wednesday.

Maehashi’s allegations, that her recipes for caramel slice and baklava were remarkably similar to those published in Bellamy’s book, were followed hours later by a similar claim by US baker Sally McKenney in respect of one of her recipes.

McKenney, of Sally’s Baking Addiction, on Wednesday posted on social media that her Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had recipe was very similar to a recipe in the Bake With Brooki book. The Courier-Mail has requested comment from Bellamy.

Maehashi said had Bellamy asked permission, “I would have given it, and … proudly promoted your book on launch”.

Bellamy, who was spotted at her Brisbane home on Wednesday but was not at her Fortitude Valley bakery, firmly denied the allegations on Tuesday and again in a statement on Wednesday, describing the accusations as overwhelming.

Brooke Bellamy’s husband Justice Bellamy was seen at the couple’s Brooki Bakehouse on Wednesday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“I do not copy other people’s recipes,” she said.

“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.”

In 2016, then known as Brooke Saward, she opened Charlie’s Dessert House in Launceston, Tasmania with the menu filled with recipes collected on her travels as a blogger, also publishing a book called ‘World of Wanderlust: How to Live an Adventurous Life’.

The business has now come out in support of the beseiged chef.

“In light of recent allegations involving Brooke Bellamy, former owner of Charlie’s Dessert House we would like to express our support for her and Brooki Bakehouse during this challenging time,” a statement read.

While Maehashi’s viral post made copying claims, she also pointed out that whether copyright existed in a recipe was not a straightforward question.

Intellectual property lawyer of Thomson Greer, Hayden Delaney said the biggest concern when it came to copyright was in the method of a recipe.

“The method is more likely to give rise to copyright protection because it’s a more substantial literary work where ideas are expressed in the author’s style,” Mr Delaney said.

“Their copying of the method could be seen to be literary work, and that literacy work has been reproduced without license or authorisation, as it (allegedly) has here, then there could be potential copyright infringement allegations put forward.”

Brooke Bellamy’s husband Justice Bellamy was seen at the couple’s Brooki Bakehouse on Wednesday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Originally published as Brooke Bellamy loses federal business ambassadorship