Kaz's path to founding The Hostful has been shaped by four points of its foundation.
The first is mindfulness. Kaz completed training as a Mindfulness Facilitator at Brown University and deepens her practice by attending regular silent retreats.
The second is hospitality. Over more than a decade of welcoming guests in historic guest houses in Newport, Rhode Island, Kaz has come to appreciate the sense of ease, belonging, and connection that can emerge when people feel genuinely received.
The third is culinary craft. Kaz trained in baking and pastry arts at Le Cordon Bleu and later worked at Thomas Keller Restaurant Group's Bouchon Bakery, where artisanal baked goods are crafted for the group's renowned French Laundry restaurant down the street. There, Kaz came to understand baking not simply as technique, but as a practice of presence, a way of bringing full attention to the creation of something that will nourish another person.
The fourth is the study of literature and language through degrees in English from Yale and Oxford. Literature teaches us to pay close attention to stories, human experience, and the ways people make meaning in their lives. At its heart, it is the study of what it means to be human. It cultivates curiosity, deep listening, empathy, and appreciation for the subtleties that shape how people feel, connect, and belong.
