Italian chef refuses to put pineapple on pizza, gets fired by Australian restaurant

An Italian chef’s refusal to let pineapple anywhere near his pizzas has cost him his job and his attempt to challenge the dismissal has now hit a legal roadblock.

Davide Tamburella, who considered the controversial topping an “insult to his culture”, was sacked from a Brisbane restaurant after refusing to prepare ham and pineapple pizzas for a high-value private function. He has since failed to get his dismissal claim considered by Australia’s Fair Work Commission.

Tamburella was the head chef at La Costa restaurant in Brisbane, where he was dismissed on May 20, around a fortnight after a meeting with the management to discuss concerns about his conduct and performance.

One of the issues raised was his refusal to prepare ham and pineapple pizzas for a function. According to the details recorded by the commission, the customer hosting the event had requested the pizzas as part of a booking worth more than A$15,000 (approximately Rs 9 lakh).

The chef maintained that adding pineapple to pizza was offensive to his Italian culture. He had reportedly refused similar instructions twice before, making this the third such instance in four years.

On an earlier occasion, he had asked his boss to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza”.

Tamburella also argued that his dismissal was unfair and alleged that it was partly linked to a workplace injury in which he fractured his right hand after striking a metal handrail.

However, the Fair Work Commission rejected his application because it had been filed after the prescribed deadline and did not meet the requirements for exceptional circumstances.

The decision, released on Tuesday, therefore did not determine whether the restaurant had been justified in dismissing him.

La Costa's managing director, Elliot Ingram, told the Daily Mail that there was “more to this story than a pizza topping”, indicating that the refusal was one of several matters raised during the disciplinary process. The restaurant has since closed.

Meanwhile, Tamburella appears to have found another kitchen to work in. His LinkedIn profile lists him as the head chef at Don Gino, an Italian restaurant in West End, Brisbane. Interestingly, pineapple does not feature on the restaurant's menu.- Ends