Strathmore Speaker Series Archive

Firebarn Chats, Episode 5 – In My Father’s Kitchen

by Ron Lombard

September 5, 2024

We’ve all passed a homeless person holding up a cardboard sign, conflicted over whether to ignore and move on, or to stop and help. John and Leigh-Ann Tumino say there’s a story behind every cardboard sign and all people have value despite their circumstances. In this edition of Firebarn Chats, they recount the incredible story of how they were inspired to stop and help during an encounter on a Route 81 offramp in 2011. The Tuminos tell co-hosts Mary Beth Horsington and Patty Black how they walked away from a successful restaurant business and risked everything to create In My Father’s Kitchen, which provides critical services and support for Syracuse’s homeless and vulnerable.