Italian chef fired by Australia restaurant after refusing to put pineapple on pizza, calls it 'insult to his culture'
It was the third time in four years that he refused to do so. He's working in Queensland which is considered the country's pineapple heartland.
An Italian chef, Davide Tamburella, lost his job at a Brisbane restaurant in Queensland, Australia, after he refused to put pineapple on pizzas. He felt this was an insult to his culture, a claim that led him to approach the Australia Fair Work Commission, alleging unfair dismissal. This came about after Tamburella approached the restaurant's management multiple times over four years, refusing to place pineapples on pizzas at least three times, according to the BBC.
The incident became public after he met with the management in May 2026, following which he was dismissed. Tamburella accused the management of complaints about his behavior, which allegedly included his refusal to serve ham and pineapple pizzas at a function. Tamburella maintained that any directive from management need not be followed if it offended his cultural sensibilities.
However, his appeal for unfair dismissal was dismissed by the commission as the claim was filed too late. The tribunal also noted that Tamburella had struck a metal hand rail in April 2026, fracturing bones in his right hand. He had hoped the restaurant would sponsor his visa for permanent residency, but this dream was dashed when he was fired.
Despite this, Tamburella is currently employed at another restaurant in Brisbane, where his menu does not feature pineapple.
Written by urgent.news from Mothership's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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