A Cambridge author is about to launch a new cookbook and embark on a promotional tour with cooking demonstrations, TV interviews and book signings. The catch? He's only 10.

Nicholas Brockelbank fast-tracked his writing and cooking career when he asked Scholastic to publish his hand-written cookbook - just to try his luck.

But Scholastic did publish it. In fact, they published recipes from all three of his cookbooks to create Nic's Cookbook.

Nic suffers from muscular dystrophy, a group of inherited disorders that involve muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue, and also has learning difficulties.

It wasn't until he was 7, when his teacher noticed Nic's love of cooking and how it helped improve his learning, that his rise to fame started.

He wrote his first cookbook when he was eight, as a Christmas present for family and friends. Nic's mum Chris then helped set up a website to sell his books and artwork, to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund and the True Colours Charitable Trust.

"It was completely his initiative," Mrs Brockelbank said. "He said, ‘how can we make money for Christchurch?', and that's where the website came in."

Last year, he won the Good Morning Kids' Cookoff, and was this year's ambassador for the MDA Bow Tie Appeal, appearing alongside Judy Bailey on TV, billboards and posters for the campaign.

Nic's favourite chef is MasterChef winner Brett McGregor, who Nic got to make pavlova with yesterday as part of Parmco's Let's Cook competition at school.

He has also been invited to submit his cookbook for the prestigious Gourmand Cookbook Awards by founder and co-president of the awards, Edouard Cointreau.

But despite his new-found fame, Nic remains your average, incredibly humble, 10-year-old.

"I'm really pleased with [the book]. I'm very proud," he said.

Nic's Cookbook launches October 1 at Wrights Bookshop in Cambridge. It will retail at $10 and Nic will be available for signing as well as serving pre-prepared dishes from the book to sample.

Visit Nic's website for the latest on his fundraising, nicocool.com.

- © Fairfax NZ News