January
27, 2007
Presenting: Steven and Paul from the Accommodating
the Soul B& B – Spirituality and the Personal Touch
Sometimes the most interesting encounters happen spontaneously.
I had just picked up the Beach Metro Community News and noticed
an advertisement for a bed and breakfast in Toronto’s Beach
that had a rather unusual name: Accommodating
The Soul Bed and Breakfast. For my neighbourhood portrait of
the Beach I had wanted to interview a tourism entrepreneur anyway,
so I decided to call the number listed.
I talked with one of the owners and got a positive reception. Steven
and I arranged that I would drop by Saturday afternoon for a quick
interview. So on a snowy day I drove down Waverley Road and stopped
just north of Queen Street: I had found my destination. Steven Zarlenga,
one of the co-owners, opened the door to Accommodating The Soul
B&B and welcomed me. He offered me a pair of slippers, a comfortable
accessory on this cold and clammy day. The co-owner Paul Karamat
had also been waiting for me and said hello. After offering me a
glass of orange juice, Steven took me on a tour of the house.
Steven Zarlenga & Paul Karamat
The historic home has a beautifully decorated living room on the
east side, with an adjoining dining room that features a colourful
oversize floral painting which Steven and Paul brought back from
a trip to Thailand. Upstairs are three tastefully decorated bedrooms,
with one gorgeous private bathroom and one shared bathroom. Steven
did all the interior decorating, and the entire house has a tranquil
elegance to it. Straight down from the entrance is the kitchen,
a room they plan to renovate in the near future. Doors from the
kitchen and the dining room lead down a few steps to a new addition:
a beautiful west-facing garden room with three sets of French doors
provides a perfect spot to relax. In the summer you can gaze out
over the green sanctuary behind the house. Their backyard is part
of the Beaches Garden Tour.
The beautiful backyard
Their garden has even been used as a backdrop for weddings and
other special events. The generous garden room with its series of
French doors reminded me a bit of a European palais, where doors
open up to a beautifully designed oasis of colour and fragrance.
Steven commented that the garden is a quiet respite and many B&B
guests have remarked how peaceful the garden is. During the Jazz
Festival Steven and Paul often sit in the backyard with their guests,
enjoying a glass of wine and listening to the music that drifts
up from Queen Street.
The living room
Steven and Paul used to live in Richmond Hill, and had been playing
with the idea of opening a bed and breakfast for some time, but
they always thought that this would be something to do later on
in life. At a critical juncture in life they decided to go ahead
with their plans anyway and started searching for a suitable property.
They looked in different parts of Toronto and were shown various
properties all over the city. When they looked around the Beach,
they liked the small town feel of this neighbourhood and the restaurant
and shopping opportunities close by. Paul commented that when their
real estate agent drove them down Waverley Road, they somehow felt
guided to this property and bought it right away after the viewing.
They became good friends with the former owner who allowed them
to put plants in the garden before they even owned the house and
fixed up all the holes in the wall before Steven and Paul took over
the property.
The dining room
The name for this B&B came to Paul in a divinely inspired moment.
Paul describes himself as spiritual, he prays regularly and asked
for a name for their new bed and breakfast. Paul smiles and says
the next day the name came to him spontaneously: Accommodating
The Soul. He adds he wanted to create a home for people to come
and just be.
A gorgeous ensuite private bathroom upstairs
Over the last three years Steven and Paul have had guests from
all over the world, including from different parts of North America,
Europe and Asia. Steven likes to spoil them with his full hot breakfast
which includes a fresh fruit cocktail, coffee, tea, juice, and a
main course, either an egg dish (Paul adds that Steven’s omelettes
are to die for), a quiche or a dish made with filo pastry. Steven
told me about his pancakes: he takes thin slices of ripe pear and
puts them in the dough while the pancake cooks. The fruit remains
visible on one side of the pancake and the top gets sprinkled with
icing sugar. My mouth was watering just listening to this description.
The garden room in the winter
I asked them to tell me a few of their favourite guest stories
that they have accumulated over the last three years. They both
commented that their guests come from all walks of life, some are
wealthy, some are regular, hard-working people, but they treat everyone
the same way, and 99% of their guest experiences have been positive.
Many of their guests say that they sleep so much better here than
in their own home. Just recently some guests from the West Coast
brought a bottle of malt as a present, and other guests brought
some cheese. Often their guests are interesting personalities or
they come for interesting reasons. One of their guests was doing
research into the death of his uncle who was killed on duty as an
RCMP officer. Another couple from Korea came with their Korean brother-in-law.
As an interior designer, Steven got involved in an animated discussion
about architecture with the brother-in-law. Later that day the couple
commented that their traveling companion had not talked with anyone
for five days, and Steven was the first person that he opened up
to.
One of the bedrooms upstairs
A young woman from Japan who spoke no English stayed for several
days at their B&B, and they went on some joint excursions to
Niagara-on-the-Lake together. The only way they could communicate
was through improvised sign language, and the three established
a great connection and had lots of laughs together. Positive human
connections are possible even without the aid of a common spoken
language.
Steven and Paul’s favourite guest story involves a woman
from Halifax who came to stay at their
B&B. Mary, a good-looking tall woman in her fifties, with
blond hair, was a bit reserved, yet she also came across as relaxed
and spiritual. The two owners knew that they were going to connect
with this B&B guest. Mary finally opened up and told them her
story: she had had a very close friend, Anna, whom she had grown
up with. They would often have tea and cookies together, and one
day, during one of their get-togethers, Anna got up, and fell back
down – she had suffered a massive heart attack and passed
away the same day.
An urban oasis
When Mary was taking the train to Toronto on her way to visit Steven
and Paul’s B&B, Mary said to herself ”Anna, if you
are out there, give me a sign. “ Mary closed her eyes and
when she opened them again she saw a big A in the sky. As Paul was
telling this story, something had just given me a chill. Steven
and Paul added that they became good friends with Mary and they
cried when she left. They felt they had met a soul sister. Needless
to say, Mary has been back several times since her first visit.
I inquired into their personal backgrounds and Steven started to
explain that he was born in Toronto into an Italian-Canadian family.
He graduated from a program in marketing and started to work for
American Standard. He moved into the field of human resources and
started to work with disabled people for whom he organized job fairs
and work placements.
Another one of the bedrooms upstairs
One day he literally had a light bulb moment, he realized that
he needed a change in his life, and at the time he considered that
he might open a home accessories store. Steven had always had a
real talent for interior design, and since he was a child, his relatives
would ask him for decorating advice. He figured he might as well
try to make a living at something that he is really good at. He
got as far as attending some trade shows and gathering some samples
for the intended home accessories store, but in the end, Steven
and Paul decided to harness Steven’s decorating talents by
putting them to good use in their own bed and breakfast which they
were planning to open.
Steven is also a talented stained glass artists, and some pieces
of Steven’s art adorn their home. Steven has also sold several
pieces of stained glass to some of his bed and breakfast guests
while several other visitors have requested his help with their
interior design projects.
Paul was born in Guyana and was twelve years old when he came to
Toronto. He said his initial adjustment period was a bit difficult
since he was used to growing up in a large family who had been living
closely together. Once he arrived in Toronto, his entire family
was spread out all over the city. In his twenties Paul completed
his education in nursing and worked as a “traveling nurse”
in various parts of the USA for three years. He was hired by different
nursing agencies and worked in various cities throughout Florida
and California.
Paul is also a registered physiotherapist and describes himself
as an aspiring spiritual counselor, writer and public speaker. He
also provides mindfulness awareness meditation workshops.
Paul shows his Camino pilgrimage passport and scallop shell
One experience that shaped Paul Kamarat was a walk along the ancient
pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago. We briefly talked about
my friend Sue Kenney who has become
a recognized authority on the
Camino. Paul recounts a story of when he was traveling by train
from France towards the border of Spain where he would be starting
his pilgrimage. He had met a local woman on the train who told him
that they were very close to the famous French pilgrimage town of
Lourdes. Paul decided to get off the train and spent a night in
this historic town, a magical experience.
Once he had started his pilgrimage near the Spanish town of Roncesvalles,
he asked God to give him a sign whether he was on the right path.
Just at that moment he saw a pair of dancing butterflies, which
had always been a positive symbol for Paul. He knew he was on the
right track.
Paul adds that as a budding writer he has a strong interest in
regular people. He said that he meets so many interesting people
and there are so many special individuals out there who are making
a positive contribution to the planet.
Steven also pulled out his album and showed me a few pictures of
the B&B’s renovation project. Other images featured some
of the special events held here and some of his stained glass work.
We also went through their guest book which features so many positive
comments about the guest experience at Accommodating
The Soul B&B. Ever the gracious hosts, Paul and Steven had
brought me cookies and a delicious plate of cheese and crackers
to keep me energized during the interview. Their natural knack for
hospitality is genuine and welcoming.
Just before I had to leave, Paul showed me his pilgrimage passport
and the scallop shell that is the symbol of the Camino de Santiago.
Steven also had a special item to show me, particularly since Paul
was instigating: Steven’s artistic talent manifested itself
early in the form of a blue paper-maché pig, an art project
that was displayed in his high school along with a variety of other
exhibits and science experiments. We all chuckled at this unusual
long-lashed yet strangely endearing piece of art.
The famous blue pig
Two other interviewees were waiting
for me, but meeting these two hospitality entrepreneurs was a real
treat. I have interviewed many bed and breakfast owners over the
years, but I don’t think I have ever met B& B hosts who
enjoy the guest experience and the human connection as much as Steven
Zarlenga and Paul Karamat. Both gentlemen invited me to come back
and I didn’t leave before I got a big hug from both of them.
Truly a bed and breakfast with a personal touch…
Related Articles:
Celebrate Toronto
- an article series to celebrate my chosen home town
Gene Domagala - a human convenience
store of charity and community involvement in Toronto's Beach
Arie Nerman & the Beach Hebrew Institute:
the People's Synagogue
Glenn Cochrane - Media
Personality, Author and Expert Fundraiser – A Champion of
the Beach for almost 40 years
Michelle Gebhart: a
true Renaissance Woman: From Army Brat to Expert Renovator, Biker
Lady, Successful Restaurateur & Dedicated Youth Volunteer
Michael Prue: a working class success
story - from Regent Park to Queens Park
Alex Winch & the
Beach Solar Laundromat – Unstoppable when it comes to Championing
Renewable Energy & Innovative Entrepeneurship
Mary Lee: a restaurant owner with a heart
for the arts
Marie Perrotta from the Pegasus
Community Project - Reaching for the stars
Burgie and Benedetta from the Konditor
coffeehouse create Austrian delicacies in Toronto's Beach
Bob Murdoch from Community Centre
55 - 25 years of community service in the Beach
Steven and Paul from Accommodating
the Soul B&B: hospitality with a personal touch
John Dowding: a private lesson in
photography from a true master
Lucille Crighton: A textile
arts Hall of Famer in Toronto's Beach
Lido Chilelli: Founder
of the Toronto International Beaches Jazz Festival
|