A talented 12-year-old is making Bury proud after well-deserved recognition on  BBC, SKY NEWS, Blue Peter and a Rising Star award nomination.

Rocco Greene, 12, from Radcliffe, has attracted celebrity and local fans across the country after finding an incredible skill for cooking over the 2020 pandemic.

The Bury Grammar School pupil has been cooking for two and a half years and is already well on his way to becoming a celebrity chef, although his mum says the washing up side of things has yet to be mastered.

Bury Times: Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe (Image: Public)

Sara Greene, Rocco’s mum said: “I am most certainly in charge of the cleaning and washing up, he has not mastered that part.. yet.

“We feel so proud.  Rocco has put in so much hard work and dedication he deserves the recognition so much.

“I have seen first-hand what he has given not just for himself but for members of our community, It has been amazing.”

Bury Times: Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe (Image: Public)

Rocco has been hosting Kids Cooking Masterclasses during school holidays which have been a huge success and also started up a Dippin Doughball business during lockdown.

He delivered every weekend, with repeat orders coming in and started doing Artisan fayres raising money for charity.  

Sara added: “On Christmas day we had so much food left over he went into the kitchen and started plating it all up and asked his dad and me to take him into Manchester to deliver to the homeless.

Bury Times: Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe (Image: Public)

“He was also teaching kids how to make fresh pasta, Mexican food,  and fresh pizza, it has been amazing to watch him show the importance of cooking and teaching other kids. 

“On top of that, he was on BBC, SKY NEWS and Blue Peter for their Queens Jubilee special where he helped bake the Jubilee pudding which will be remembered forever.”  

Although his mum has now become the designated sous chef, Rocco said his mum and nana are very good cooks too…although not quite as good as him.

He said: “I started cooking at the beginning of the first lockdown, I have always watched my mum cook but I also learned from my favourite chefs on Youtube and then I just started to teach myself as I went along.

Bury Times: Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe Chef Rocco, 12, Radcliffe (Image: Public)

“I would love to work with Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and Gino D’acampo as they are three of my favourite chefs but once I have all the experience, I want to open my own restaurant and food truck Business.”

Rocco’s goals don’t appear to be even remotely out of reach as his hard work and talent has been recognised yet again.

Rocco said: “My mum was picking me up from school and told me I had been nominated for the Manchester Rising Star/ Emerging Talent award, I was so happy and we went out to dinner to celebrate.

“I really am very grateful as it shows that the public like my style of cooking and enjoy watching my videos and recipes, I am so excited that I have been nominated it makes all the hard work so worth it.”

Although he doesn’t have a speech for the event prepared quite yet, Rocco said he is good at just speaking off the top of his head.

The award ceremony in Manchester will take place on November 3, and the winner will be announced from the eight people who are shortlisted.

Sara said: “We are so excited, it will be a fantastic night and an amazing experience for us all to be attending.

"Rocco has always had a passion for food and cooking since a very young age so when schools closed back in March 2020 we let him loose in the Kitchen,  where we soon realised what a real talent he had.

“He loves cooking, it is where he is at his happiest so we have just gone with it not knowing where this journey would have taken us.  It has all been a massive positive, especially during such testing times.

 “I thought it would be a hobby, something for him to do and if I could have looked to the future I think I would be totally gobsmacked with how far this has taken him at such a young age.”

Rocco, who is currently at Bury Grammar Senior School, has not held back on his culinary skills, especially when it came to food tech lessons.

Sara said: “He loves Food tech! Last year he won the Masterchef competition and most recently did a cooking demo for the open day with one of his friends where they made a Mexican feast.”

It’s no surprise that Rocco went with the Mexican choice with tacos being his favourite thing to cook although his steaks and wood-fired pizzas are his mum's personal favourite.

The, This is Manchester Awards aim to shine a light and makes noise for the innovator, the creator and the exceptional as well as celebrate and acknowledge milestones, hurdles and achievements.

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