Elizabeth High has been accused of plagiarism in her first cookbook.
Former MasterChef contestant and Michelin star chef Elizabeth High has withdrawn her first cookbook from circulation by publisher Bloomsbury in the wake of allegations of plagiarism by another chef. Sharon V, author of Nonya grew up in the kitchen, a cookbook memoir published in 2012, has accused Ms. Hai of plagiarizing recipes and personal anecdotes in her cookbook. Makan: Recipes from the Heart of Singapore. The allegations of plagiarism came as a shock to industry insiders and fans of Ms Hai, the owner of London-based restaurant Mei Mei and a respected name in the industry.
According to BBC, Bloomsbury Absolute said that the book, which was released in May this year, has been withdrawn “due to a rights issue”. Chef Sharon V, based in New York, alleged that make She has at least 15 copied recipes and personal stories from her own book.
Upon her return, Ms V shared a statement on Twitter: “I was distressed to learn that certain recipes and other ingredients from my book were copied or interpreted by Elizabeth High at Maken without my consent, and I immediately responded to this. brought to the attention of the book’s publisher, Bloomsbury Absolute.” Sharing the tweet, Ms V said, “I have written my book in loving memory of my mother. I credit him and his teammates for their anecdotes, recipes, and cooking tips. This was his story…”
I have written my book in loving memory of my mother. I credit him and his teammates for their anecdotes, recipes, and cooking tips. This was his story. Here is my statement. pic.twitter.com/yyQAndqmeJ
— Sharon V (@nonyaglobal) October 6, 2021
The issue first surfaced when Cook the Books, a New Zealand cookbook store, received an email from a staff member at Marshall Cavendish, who published Sharon V’s book.
According to London Eater, the email alleges, “The clearest case of cookbook plagiarism we’ve ever seen… Elizabeth Haigh reveals 15 or more recipes from Sharon V’s book ‘Growing Up In’ in her 2021 book ‘Makan’, published by Bloomsbury Absolute Raised to. A Nonya Kitchen, ‘Published by Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) in 2012.”
The email also compared excerpts from the two books to point out similarities. Both writers had a passage for how their mothers organized the kitchen.
Ms. V wrote in her 2012 book: “My mother, like many of her friends, kept her most-used condiments and ingredients within easy reach when cooking. This often meant plastic trays. . . where were small bottles of soy sauce, sesame oil, and jars of minced garlic, salt, and sugar. In the past, there was also a metal container to hold recycled cooking oil.”
Ms. Hai wrote in her 2021 book: “My mother . . . kept her most commonly used condiments and ingredients within easy reach of where she used to cook. This often meant small jars of oil, crispy bottoms. There is a plastic tray filled with crushed shallots or garlic, crushed garlic, salt and sugar. Usually an old metal pot was also used for recycled or discarded frying oil.”
Ms. Hai was a contestant on the 2011 MasterChef show. After winning a Michelin star at London’s Pidgin restaurant, he opened Mei Mei restaurant in London’s Borough Market in 2019.
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