Italian chef fired after refusing to put pineapple on pizza

BySimon Atkinson Reporting fromQueensland.

Key points

• On the Sunshine Coast, visitors regularly stop to take photos next to The Major Pineapple, a heritage-listed 16m-tall fibreglass model of the fruit.
• The details came to light after the chef went to Australia's Fair Work Commission claiming he had been unfairly dismissed.
• The restaurant's managing director, Elliot Ingram, informed the Daily Mail there was "more to this story than a pizza topping".
• The state of Queensland, where the restaurant is located, is considered Australia's pineapple heartland and produces all of the country's commercially-grown pineapples.
• An Italian chef sacked from a Brisbane restaurant had refused to put pineapple on a pizza since it was an "insult to his culture".

In practice, an Italian chef sacked from a Brisbane restaurant had refused to put pineapple on a pizza since it was an "insult to his culture".

Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in May, a fortnight after a session with management who had a string of complaints concerning the chef's behaviour.

Among them were Tamburella's refusal to provide ham and pineapple pizza for guests at a function. At the time, the chef had stated that any direction from management "need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture".

For context, the details came to light after the chef went to Australia's Fair Work Commission claiming he had been unfairly dismissed.

In its ruling published on Tuesday, the commission observed that Tamburella's refusal to put pineapple on the pizzas was since "he considers, as an Italian, that putting pineapple on a pizza is an insult to his culture".

According to It additionally, it was the third time Tamburella had refused to employ the fruit on pizzas previously four years.

He had previously requested his boss to "check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza".

Notably, the state of Queensland, where the restaurant is located, is considered Australia's pineapple heartland and produces all of the country's commercially-grown pineapples.

On the Sunshine Coast, visitors regularly stop to take photos next to The Major Pineapple, a heritage-listed 16m-tall fibreglass model of the fruit. It has become a local landmark.

Other reservations were raised concerning Tamburella using foul language, his communication style and "escalation of frustration in the workplace".

Notably, the ruling additionally detailed an incident at work in April this year where Tamburella fractured bones in his right hand when he struck a metal hand rail.

Tamburella had been hoping the restaurant would sponsor a visa for him that allows skilled workers to be permanent residents.

Nevertheless after his sacking, the restaurant concluded that process, the tribunal heard.

He lost his unfair dismissal claim on the grounds that the application had been filed too late, according to the ruling.

Notably, the restaurant's managing director, Elliot Ingram, informed the Daily Mail there was "more to this story than a pizza topping". The BBC has approached Tamburella for comment.

On the chef's LinkedIn profile, he describes himself as someone who, throughout his career, has focused on "delivering exceptional food" and "improving business performance".

Three months ago he posted a "letter for chefs" with the theme "respecting the ingredients".

Notably, the LinkedIn profile states he now works at another Brisbane restaurant. A BBC check has discovered that pineapple is not on that restaurant's menu.

In short, italian chef fired after refusing to put pineapple on pizza is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.