It started with a pie.
A deep-dish apple pie, to be exact—my grandmother’s recipe, passed down to my mother, and then to me. I’d spent years perfecting it, tweaking the spices just enough to give it a subtle twist without losing the essence of what made it special.
Whenever I brought that pie to gatherings, it was a hit. People would rave about the flaky crust, the warm cinnamon aroma, and the way the filling somehow managed to be both tart and sweet. It wasn’t just dessert; it was my signature dish, the one thing I was known for among friends and family.
So, when my colleague, Ben, asked me to bake one for our office potluck, I gladly agreed. I thought nothing of it—until the following week.
The Social Media Post
It was a Wednesday evening when my phone buzzed with a notification. Someone had tagged me in a post. Clicking on it, I saw Ben’s smiling face beside a perfectly plated slice of my apple pie. The caption read:
“Made my famous apple pie for the office today! Went over really well.”
I read it again. And again. “Made my famous apple pie.” Not our pie, not “adapted from a recipe I got from Emma,” but his famous pie. My name wasn’t mentioned anywhere.
The comments rolled in:
“Looks amazing, Ben!”
“You need to give me the recipe!”
“You’re so talented!”
I sat there, a mix of disbelief and frustration bubbling inside me.
Giving Him the Benefit of the Doubt
At first, I tried to brush it off. Maybe it was just careless wording. Maybe he’d meant to credit me but forgot in the rush of posting.
But then I remembered something: at the potluck, Ben had been hovering around the dessert table, telling people he’d made the pie himself. At the time, I thought he was joking. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
The Confrontation
The next morning, I decided to bring it up. I caught him in the break room as he poured himself coffee.
“Hey, Ben,” I started casually, “I saw your post about the pie. I couldn’t help noticing you called it your famous pie.”
He chuckled. “Oh, that. Yeah, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I mean, I baked it, right?”
My jaw nearly dropped. “You baked it? Ben, I gave you that pie already made. You didn’t even turn on your oven.”
He shrugged. “Well, I brought it, so…”
So? That was his logic?
Why It Mattered
To some people, this might have seemed like a small thing. But to me, it was about more than just a pie. It was about recognition for something I’d put time, effort, and heart into. It was about honesty.
Recipes, especially family ones, carry stories. They connect generations. This pie wasn’t just flour, butter, and apples—it was Sunday afternoons in my grandmother’s kitchen, her hands guiding mine as I learned to roll out dough. It was my mother telling me, “You’ll make this for your kids someday.”
And now, someone was casually claiming that piece of my history as their own.
Making My Point
I told Ben exactly that. I explained why the pie was important to me, and why passing it off as his own felt disrespectful.
He looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal,” he said again. But this time, his tone was softer, less dismissive.
Finally, he sighed. “Okay, you’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll edit the post.”
True to his word, he updated the caption later that day:
“Huge thanks to Emma for her incredible apple pie recipe! Definitely the star of the potluck.”
The Takeaway
The edit helped, but the experience stuck with me. It reminded me that people sometimes take credit simply because they don’t think about the effort behind the finished product. And it also reminded me that it’s okay to speak up for yourself, even if the issue seems “small” to others.
Since then, I’ve been more careful about who I share my recipes with. Not because I’m stingy, but because I want to make sure they understand the value—not just of the food, but of the story behind it.
Final Thought
Credit matters, whether it’s for a pie, a project, or an idea. When someone creates something, they’re not just giving you a product—they’re sharing a part of themselves. Honoring that effort is a simple act of respect that costs nothing but means everything.
