An Italian chef in Brisbane, Australia, has lost his case after he was fired for refusing to make a ham-and-pineapple pizza for a function.
Davide Tamburella worked at La Costa Restaurant and Bar when he was asked to top a pizza with pineapple, something he said was an insult to his culture. He told his employer to look into why Italians don’t traditionally put pineapple on pizza — pointing out that Queensland is often called Australia’s pineapple capital.
The restaurant said refusing a direct request from management wasn’t the only reason Tamburella lost his job; there had also been concerns about his communication style in the kitchen, and he’d been given a written warning before. The restaurant has since closed.
Tamburella took his case to Australia’s Fair Work Commission, arguing he had been unfairly dismissed. However, the Commission ruled against him because his application had been lodged after the legal deadline had already passed.
This wasn’t the first time pineapple had caused trouble for Tamburella at work. It’s reportedly the third time in four years he’s refused to put it on a pizza.
He’s since moved on to a new job as head chef at a different Brisbane restaurant, Don Gino — which, perhaps unsurprisingly, doesn’t have a single pineapple pizza on its menu.
SMART Prep | Quick Question 
