Quality Time with… Jeff, Ep. #18 (and the 100th Post!)

Today I celebrate my 100th post with a very personal and special chat.

There are some conversations that you do not want to end, that do not even really begin to scratch the surface. I felt that with this talk. It also had something to do with the fact that I know, in this case, time is so very precious. Keeping that in mind, I’m deliberately keeping this intro short – the interview is really the heart and soul of this post.

Today I talk with C.E. Jeffress, known to me and everyone else simply as Jeff.

Jeff has been a part of my family since before I was born, coming into our lives right as my mother’s father passed away, becoming a sort of father and grandfather figure for us. He’s been a source of warmth, compassion, wisdom, love and good cooking for many years! He’s also a walking Wikipedia. :-)

This video is a bit longer than the others – I guarantee it’s worth your time.

 

 

More about Jeff…

• He’s been a professional chef for over 60 years, working at the Town Tennis Club in the 1940s and ’50s. Located in the Sutton Place neighborhood of New York, that club (which still exists today) was frequented by some of the biggest players of that day, including Sidney Wood and Donald Bulge, as well as many celebrities, such as Grace Kelly and Ginger Rogers. They’re so exclusive, they don’t even have a website!
• He served in the Army during World War II, promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant
• He was cousins with Cab Calloway through marriage, and saw him perform while stationed in Virginia during the war
• After his mother died, Jeff (just a child himself) took care of his brothers and sisters
• The horse he mentions in the video – it was of the German Burgermeister pedigree, showing at Madison Square Garden. Jeff knew the horse when it was retired, and named it Wimpy, after the “Popeye” cartoon, as the animal was known to gobble up hamburgers :-)

I hope you enjoyed spending some time with Jeff as much as I do.

 

What did you take away from my chat with Jeff?

I’d love to hear your thoughts on that as well as any other comments you have.

 

Happy 100!

Whether you’ve been following this site since the beginning, or this is your first stop here, thank you for being part of all this Nonstop Awesomeness!

Until next time,