Jeff Whalen enjoying a trip to the beach.
Jeff Whalen grew up in New York. First in Katonah and then made a family and put down roots in Yorktown Heights, NY, as a father of two boys. His close friends in high school and college called him “Al.”
Mr. Jeff Whalen attended John Jay High School and eventually went on to Boston to earn a pair of undergraduate degrees in Performance and Music Education from Berklee College of Music. Whalen would eventually earn a master’s degree in Performance [Jazz concentration] at SUNY Purchase College in Purchase, New York.
Jeff had a wide variety of interests and hobbies. For starters, his favorite radio stations were NPR and WNYC…and loved to read The New Yorker.
Whalen taught himself carpentry and gardening over the years, even building a raised garden bed:
Jeff’s greatest carpentry DIY project was a tree house for his two boys. It took a considerable amount of time to construct because Whalen was adamant about not putting a single nail into the living structures; This meant building around the trees and working around their extensive root systems! Jeff played it all by ear (much like his music), but in carpentry it went one step forward, two steps back! While it certainly wasn’t easy, the end product was complete with benches, indoor table, windows…why, the boys lended a hand in building a side pulley delivery bucket system. Many hands make light work.
Fortunately, it helps when you have a good place to start and a guide. These greatly aided Jeff when he started out. And now we pass them to you and your family.
Jeff loved a good meal but loved cooking even more!
Everyone starts somewhere in the world of cooking. For Jeff, his culinary skills by started with Cooks Illustrated magazine.
He eventually grew into Bon Appétit Magazine.
In terms of TV programs, Jeff tuned in to New Scandinavian Cooking show regularly.
Jeff made frequent use of Yelp.com when choosing a place to dine.
These smells often delighted the olfactory senses in the Whalen household for guest and resident alike. We give you Jeff’s favorite recipes:
Jeff truly cherished the great outdoors. Some of his favorite non-musical activities were soccer, swimming, biking, running and that American classic, traveling–mainly around New York and the continental US.
Here are some of Jeff’s favorite places to explore. He often revisited them.
When he was younger, Jeff practically lived in Katonah’s swimming pools; he was a fixture in the Katonah Swim Team. They recently celebrated their 50th reunion!
Want more Katonah Swim Team? Follow these links!