Ryan sat down with Lucian Toma, one of the owners of Sunny Bloom Farms, for the first episode of a new “Interesting People” style series.
Lucian shared how he went from growing up in Romania, including time in mountain villages where his family lived close to the land, to eventually coming to America. He talked about his grandmother’s homestead skills, including growing food, making plum brandy, weaving, natural dyes, preserving food, and repairing homes with traditional materials like cob.
He also discussed living through the fall of communism in Romania, the chaos that followed, and how those experiences shaped his views on community, resilience, survival skills, and local independence.
Lucian later ran away from home as a teenager and ended up on the streets in Rome, Italy. A chance meeting with an American named Jeff changed his life. Jeff helped him return home, supported his education, and eventually helped him come to the United States. Lucian received his visa one day before 9/11 and later arrived in California.
In America, Lucian studied international relations, global leadership, and sustainable development. His education and life experience led him into ecology, community work, beach management, nonprofit work, farm-to-table programs, regenerative agriculture, and public education.
He eventually built a life around teaching people how to live more connected to the land, grow food, build resilience, and create stronger local communities.
Lucian and his wife, Anna Maria, later moved to Lebanon, Missouri, after years of visiting the Lake of the Ozarks area and feeling drawn to the Ozarks. They now run Sunny Bloom Farms as more than a farm. Lucian describes it as a permaculture farm, school, and village centered on food, education, ecological living, and community.
The conversation ended with Ryan inviting viewers to leave questions for Lucian and teasing a possible part two, since Lucian’s journey from Romania to Lebanon, Missouri, has many more layers to explore.