Greg Buck: 'He Just Amazed
Me'
Where
to begin with Greg Buck? Perhaps with wood.
He was an accomplished woodworker. For a number of
years, he had a custom cabinetry and furniture business
with his father, and they restored a couple of homes,
including the Victorian that his parents live in in
Staten Island.
He was also a classical pianist, and he played the
organ at the weddings of friends. He went part of the way
through cooking school and was quite proficient at the
stove. He completed nursing school (where he met his
wife, Catherine Morrison-Buck) and was thus a registered
nurse, though he never practiced.
Finally, he was a firefighter with Engine Company 201
in Brooklyn.
"He was the most talented guy I've ever seen in my
life," his wife said. "He just amazed me."
He was quiet about his multiple talents. It took
awhile before his colleagues at the firehouse learned of
his cooking skills and showed him to the kitchen. They
began calling him the Silent Chef.
Firefighter Buck, 37, kept a woodworking shop in an
old hotel he restored on Staten Island. He and his wife
had planned to start a business selling antiques he
restored and the new furniture he made. They were also in
the process of buying a home on Staten Island. Mrs.
Morrison-Buck closed on it a few weeks ago. Firefighter
Buck was going to restore it. "Now it's my job," she
said.
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