Andy Lee says a much-loved gift stolen from his New York pub has now been safely returned, after the venue publicly appealed for help tracking it down.
The item was no ordinary book. It was a framed copy of the iconic Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book, a nostalgic favourite recognised by generations of Australians. Lee’s pub, Old Mates, is owned by the comedian along with a group of high-profile Australian investors including Hugh Jackman, Pat Cummins, Ash Barty and Hamish Blake.
The venue first revealed over the weekend that “a crime had been committed”, sharing security footage of the alleged theft on social media. The video showed a woman wearing sunglasses walking through the venue, with Old Mates later describing her in its post as a “grown woman”. Footage also captured the moment a pub patron appeared to remove the framed cookbook from the wall, hide it under a jumper and leave.
In its appeal, the pub wrote: “Our beloved Australian Women’s Weekly Birthday Cake Book has been stolen off the wall… and yes, we’ve got the footage.”
The venue stressed the sentimental value of the missing item, explaining: “It was a pre-opening gift… and it means a lot to us. We just want it back.”
Trying to keep the tone light, the pub added: “We’re not after drama. So we’re calling on the internet to do its thing.”
It also made a direct offer to the person responsible, posting: “REWARD OFFERED. Return the book. No questions asked. Even anonymously.”
A second image showed the now-famous “scene of the crime”, with the framed “collector’s cookbook” pictured hanging on the wall before it disappeared.
To encourage its return, the pub announced that if the book came back by the end of the month, it would “shout” $8 schooners for the rest of May. The promise quickly drew attention online, with many Australians rallying behind the mission to recover the beloved cookbook.
“This is beyond unhinged! 😢,” one follower wrote.
Another commented: “My mum has that book – it is iconic and needs to be returned – it is just priceless ❤️.”
A third suggested: “Put their photo in the now empty frame until they do the right thing and bring the book back!!!”
One more follower added a joking curse for the thief: “May they use salt instead of sugar when baking from this book 😂.”
Speaking later on The Smallzy Show, Lee confirmed the cookbook had been returned, but admitted the reward idea may have created a new problem.
He explained just how significant the book was to the pub, saying: “We had it pride of place, it got stolen.”
Lee also noted that it was not a replacement copy, but an “original” edition from years ago. As the days passed, he began to worry it was gone for good.
“Days went by, it was getting worrying that we may never see it again. So, we said $8 schooners for the rest of May if it gets safely returned,” he said.
After the book reappeared, Lee joked that the celebratory offer may have backfired.
“Because now people are just going to come and steal things to get $8 schooners,” he confessed to Smallzy.
Reflecting on the decision, he added: “We should have gone the opposite. The price should have gone higher the longer it would have come back. So anyway, we’ve opened ourselves up there,” he laughed.
For now, though, Old Mates can enjoy the happy ending, with its “priceless” piece of Australian nostalgia back where it belongs.
