By Jocelyn Cote

Staff Writer

Although many Westford Academy students know Jeff Kucaj as a favorite English teacher, he also has a knack for another special talent – cooking.

“I’ve always liked to eat,” said Kucaj. “But I didn’t start to get serious about cooking until I moved away from home after college and was really put in a position where I had to cook. [...] My parents are good cooks, so [I had] to keep my eating consistent with my expectations from when I was a kid.”

Some of Kucaj’s favorite meals to prepare are those containing pasta, which he makes from scratch.

“It’s something that most people don’t do, but it makes a big difference between store-bought stuff and making it at home. I like that element of elevating the quality of it,” said Kucaj.

He also likes to use a blend of both traditional and unusual ingredients in his dishes. Experimenting with different methods of cooking, such as unique ways of preparing and presenting food, is another forté of his.

Kucaj’s wife and fellow WA English teacher, Kyle Kucaj, is used to enjoying many of the meals in the Kucaj household.

“His sauce is the best. He makes homemade meatballs, everything’s from scratch, it has three different kinds of meat in it, and the meatballs just fall apart,” she said. “He lets them sit all day long so the house smells really good when he cooks.”

According to Kyle, Jeff does most of their cooking, but she enjoys helping him out when she has the time.

“I call myself the ‘sous-chef’ – I like to do a lot of chopping and mixing, but that’s about it. I get very distracted,” she said.

Besides cooking, Jeff Kucaj also enjoys coaching WA volleyball and track, playing guitar and sometimes piano, among other interests. Of course, he also teaches English classes during the WA school day.