No Prince Charming: Iowa chef kisses, licks 2 toads in restaurant kitchen; gets $335 ticket

Iowa chef licks 2 toads in kitchen, gets fined

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Maybe he was testing a new recipe.

Chef Christopher Turla earned his Davenport, Iowa restaurant a $335 ticket Wednesday after health inspectors saw a video of him kissing and licking toads in the kitchen.

The video shows the chef with two small toads on a kitchen prep table at the restaurant Osaka. He kisses the toads a few times, licks them, then stuffs them in his mouth.

Turla says it was just a joke. But the Scott County Health Department isn’t laughing.

Food inspector Lindsay Gorishek says toads carry several diseases and that Turla had the toads in his mouth and then back in his hands on the prep table.

Restaurant owner Yidi When says he’ll pay the ticket. He also says Turla is just a funny guy who needs some more training about restaurant sanitation.

Information from: WQAD-TV, www.wqad.com