Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

The longtime owner of Papaw’s Poole Mill Restaurant developed alpha-gal syndrome after Lone Star tick bites he got while fishing. For the first four years, he did not know what was wrong. He dealt with shakes, nausea, sweating, brain fog, vision problems and a growing sense of anxiety and depression. A doctor in Henderson eventually diagnosed the condition about two and a half years ago. Todd has lived with it for roughly six to six and a half years total. Alpha-gal syndrome causes the body to react to a sugar molecule found in the meat of most mammals. That means beef, pork and other mammal products are off-limits. Some people also react to dairy. About a month ago, he ordered ostrich meat from Alpha Roost Farms, a Kentucky company he found through social media. He tried it, liked it and added an ostrich burger to the menu at his restaurant in Poole.

#SpectrumNews

For more on this and the latest news from across the country: specne.ws/u3crDT

Watch live news: specne.ws/YTliveSN

Get the Spectrum News App on all your favorite devices: specne.ws/GetSNApp2