John Tumino

It’s not unusual to see scruffy-looking people holding cardboard signs asking for help when driving around Syracuse. And few people take the time to hear the stories behind those cardboard messages. One person who does is John Tumino, 51, a chef and founder of In My Father’s Kitchen (IMFK), a nonprofit outreach program that helps homeless people in Syracuse.

“Food brings people to the table,” says Tumino. “No matter what culture you’re from or what country you’re from, everyone eats food. Food lets you communicate with your family and your friends. Food is a barrier breaker.”

Tumino uses food to break the barriers and help them restart their lives. Since 2011, he has helped 53 homeless people off the streets permanently, and today, he’s still helping through IMFK with growing numbers of supporters.

Tumino is the first generation of his family in the United States. His father moved from Italy to Argentina after World War II where he met his mother. The couple decided to emigrate in 1963 in hopes of better lives. Not knowing English or American culture did not stop them from working hard and took them to where they are now – the proud owners of Asti Caffe on North Salina Street. When Tumino was younger, he was often teased about the way his parents spoke. He grew up in a house where different languages flew around and different food was cooked and eaten. His friends would often come to try the unfamiliar meals.

After finishing his education at Fowler High School, Tumino took a job in the kitchen of a McDonald’s for a couple of years before moving on to work at a Chrysler factory. In 1987, his family opened Tumino’s Pizzeria, but by 1995 the family had sold the business and Tumino worked as a legal courier for five years. In 2002, his family started another Italian restaurant, Asti Caffe, where he worked as a chef. It was in that kitchen where it all began.

“In summer 2009, I was at the restaurant getting ready for the morning, during my prayer time, and I heard the words come into my heart ‘In my father’s kitchen,’” Tumino says. “It just felt in my heart that we would fill the belly of a man by serving food and clothing for people. I felt it was time to leave the restaurant. That was 18 months from hearing that calling until I stepped out of the family’s business.”

This was not the first time Tumino says he heard from Jesus. In his younger years, he says, he was a gambling and sex addict. It was when he was 28 years old that he had his first encounter with Jesus. He started his journey as a Christian and his faith in God delivered him from his past. One brother was a heroin addict; another brother sold drugs and went to prison. Both of their lives have since turned around due to their faith in God. From these experiences, Tumino learned that everyone has a story; everyone struggles. But there is also hope. “There’s always an opportunity to change,” Tumino says. “Will you take the opportunity, go where you’ve never gone, do what you’ve never done?”

He and his wife, Leigh Ann, are ordained ministers and once thought of becoming missionaries in Costa Rica. They each went to Costa Rica, on different trips, and a third time as a family, taking their daughter with them. They didn’t feel the click. When they got back to Syracuse they wondered what their next step would be. It was then, as they drove out of the Destiny USA mall on Bear Street, a homeless man holding a cardboard sign got Tumino’s attention. Tumino realized the car in front of them wasn’t paying attention; he looked at the car behind and they weren’t looking either. “I heard these words coming, ‘This guy feels he’s invisible and I want you to go and feed him,’ so I was like, wow,” Tumino says about how Jesus gave him a sign. He went to Wegman’s and bought a sandwich, a bag of chips, and something sweet to drink. He drove back to the homeless man.

“Hey man, my name is John, I have lunch here if you’d like it,” Tumino said, using food to break down the wall of invisibility. The man, known as Tim P., said, “Sure.” Tumino then said, “I want you to know that you’re not invisible, I see you standing there.” Tim froze and took a deep breath. He never expected that. Tim was the first person Tumino helped, five years ago. Since then he’s helped 2 more homeless people. IMFK’s office at 501 Hawley Street is not just the office for the organization, but also a place for the homeless people Tumino helps to clean up and get fresh clothes.

Leigh Ann volunteers with her husband. She says Tumino is the one who comes up with ideas. “He’s a visionary, I create it and put it together,” she says.

She was previously the children’s director at Abundant Life Christian Center for 15 years, writing curriculum, creating programs, training, and doing anything else that needed to be done. When Asti Caffe opened, Leigh Ann left her director position to help at the restaurant, with bookkeeping and office duties. Now she is Tumino’s right hand.

Today, as a full-time volunteer at IMFK, her life has been busier than ever – paperwork, creating newsletters, and such – while her husband recruits organizations to help homeless people. “I’m very proud of him and very proud to say that I’m his wife,” Leigh Ann says. “John never meets an enemy. Everyone’s his friend. I think I’m an introvert, he’s an extrovert. It wows me that he’s somebody who can make friends with everybody.”

It’s been over 15 months since Steven Clemens, 56, got sober, and it all started with a lunch. Clemens was one of the many homeless people to whom Tumino regularly brought food and clothes. But on one particular day Clemens had given up on life. Lying in his own feces, flies buzzing around him, he said to God, “This is it. Just take me or don’t. I’m done.” Minutes later, Tumino showed up and called the ambulance to rescue him. Clemens now regularly assists Tumino in his work.

Tumino never feels disgust or repulsion for the homeless people he encounters. The day Clemens was rescued, for instance, Tumino stood by him despite the strong odor that made even a male nurse almost throw up. Tumino listens to their stories, trying to connect them with people or organizations that can help. His family and the people he works with say he has always been a kind-hearted man, the one who understands, and the one who never judges.

In addition, Tumino has another close friend who went with him on his first outreach to the homeless in the streets of Syracuse. Duane Main, 54, an accountant manager at ABF Transportation, first met Tumino at a church. Nowadays, he considers Tumino a friend. “He’s an accountability partner of mine,” Main says. “He’s a gentleman I can trust, who I can go with to everyday situations or life situations. He’s got good godly wisdom.”

Today, IMFK sells pasta sauce, New Horizons coffee, and maple syrup to create awareness and finance the organization as it continues its mission. Tumino sees this as a marketplace where he physically can’t go. These products make their way to people’s kitchens, gifts for someone who could end up in another person’s cabinet. This is how IMFK spreads its word and reaches new supporters. From making and selling food, and offering a meal to cut through the invisibility, “we’re building hope and changing lives,” Tumino says.

A Story Of Hope

IMFK met Nakaa in September of 2022 living in an abandoned building, it was not until March of 2023 that I, Eliesha met her, and our connection was instant. Her birthday is one day after mine, which helped us make that initial connection. Like many friends we serve, Nakaa had braved times without a home and faced substance abuse, but her resilience made her eager to impact positive change and be an example to her community. When I asked her whether she would be willing to stay with one of her children she replied, “I am their mother, I should be taking care of them, not them taking care of me.” Her independence is crystal clear to everyone who knows her. From that point on, Nakaa and IMFK worked intensely with various organizations to better her life. She worked tirelessly no matter how tumultuous the journey often seemed. At the end of July, Nakaa was struck by a vehicle while walking along Old Liverpool Road. CPR was performed, 911 called and the damage to her body was extensive. I visited her often in the hospital to laugh and chat even when she was not able to communicate back. Nakaa is a fighter and day by day her condition improved against all odds, until she was healthy enough to be transferred out of the ICU, defying the very prognosis that was originally given by her team of physicians. Each week, I would visit her, and feel elated by the light I saw in her eyes. Her smile is big and beautiful. Nakaa’s loving family remained at her bedside and we worked conjointly to achieve the outcome we knew Nakaa desired: to be safe and secure. With the help of many thoughtful donations, IMFK was able to support her in her recovery journey by enabling the TV to be turned on for her long stay at the hospital and providing clothing, and shoes, along with some special sweet treats. Most of all we were a supportive presence and advocate when her family was not able to be there. Nakaa is now living with her son out of town advocating for herself and getting better daily. Even though she is no longer on my caseload, we still communicate, and I stay in touch with her family. Nakaa will continue to be an inspiration and example to myself and IMFK of how perseverance can bring about success and healing.

Eliesha (IMFK Care-Manager)

Thank you for your continued support, and for being the fuel that keeps our tanks full. In the New Year please consider becoming a recurring monthly partner or making a bold one-time year-end donation. Together we are Building Hope and Changing Lives

John and Leigh Ann Tumino
Co-Founder, Executive Director
In My Father’s Kitchen
315-529-3640

What a great feeling it is to assist our friends from the streets and into housing! C & H were living outdoors for some time and did everything they needed to get indoors. As Kevin says (IMFK Van Supervisor) “We can help you but you got to put in the footwork”. Well C& H did just the thing! The next step in assisting our friends is filling their fridge and cabinets with groceries provided by our partners at Abundant Life Church and providing the items they may need to make their house a home! It was a wonderful collaborative effort with the Housing and Homeless Coalition of CNY to make this placement possible. The journey from the streets is a process but our friends rose up to every challenge. T

Sous Chefs thank you for your continued support, please consider becoming reoccurring monthly partners or making a one-time year-end donation. Together we are Building Hope and Changing Lives 

John and Leigh Ann 

It was another great day on outreach partnering with Housecalls for the Homeless. We had Julia an MS1 student with Doc Lehmann learning all about compassionate care! Pictured here is Eliesha loving on our friend Sherman and his dog Deago. We will do whatever it takes to show our friends they are not Invisible. With your support, we are able to continue to serve those who feel like no one sees them. Thank YOU for your partnership!

We met Chris on the streets of Syracuse in the summer of 2020 while he was living under a bridge. Over the last three years, we loved on Chris with unconditional love (on the streets it’s called no strings). We were able to feed him, cloth him, and provide him with medical care through our partners at Housecalls for the Homeless. It has been a long journey, Chris was also a participant in our Hire Ground program that gives our homeless friends an opportunity to work and escape the grind of living outdoors. While on the work van, we are able to dive a little deeper into someone’s story with our care managers. During the work day, we find out many interesting stories as well as the real personalities of our friends. Chris had a huge personality, he was funny, loud, and intense at times. He was a straight shooter and would weave a great story. We were able to assist Chris into housing in the month of September with a wonderful collaboration of many agencies. Once housed we filled his fridge with groceries as well as provide him with items he needed, like a coffee maker, microwave, and hotplate. On November 10th, 2023 we received a call from Chris’s sister stating that he passed away. Chris was found in his apartment unconscious from an overdose. The paramedics tried for an hour to bring Chris back unfortunately to no prevail. We met the family at the apartment to go through Chris’s belongings, the family gave us the Bible that Chris used when attending churches in the area. We remember times when Chris was outdoors and wanted us to pray for him, we would and we would always encourage him that there was a better way. The family did a candlelight vigil in front of his apartment and we were able to encourage the whole family that Chris was never alone. When going through his Bible two verses were highlighted and written on an index card. The first one was Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. The second scripture was 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become brand new. I know Chris is in our future, and we will all miss him greatly but one thing I know, Chris is no longer in pain he is rejoicing in Heaven. So what do we do with the pain of Chris”s passing? We use it as fuel to continue to do the work of serving all those who feel Invisible. If you would like to attend the memorial service you are all welcome.

Christopher Michael Jarvis, age 51, a Syracuse native, died on Thursday, November 9, 2023. Chris was born on August 29, 1972. The son of Dianna and James Cornell, he was a skilled contractor and painter. Chris was always the life of the party. He enjoyed fishing and was a cat-lover. He was a passionate fan of Dale Earnhardt and Dale, Jr. You could always find him watching his favorite team play, the Dallas Cowboys.

He was preceded in death by his dad, James and brother, John Hagg.

Chris is survived by the love of his life for 30 years, Tina Jarvis; two sisters, Ann Martin (Bob) and Regina Filicia (Joe); Aunt, Roseanne Klein; two nieces, Amy Hagg and Angelica Martin; two Nephews, Johann Hagg and Bobby Martin. He will also be remembered fondly by several cousins, great-nieces, great-nephews, friends, and acquaintances.

A celebration of Chris’s life will be held on Thursday, November 16, 2023, from 4 pm-7 pm at New Comer Cremations & Funerals, 705 North Main Street, North Syracuse 13212, with a service to follow at 7 pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to In My Father’s Kitchen, 501 Hawley Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13203.