CHEF FIRED FOR REFUSING TO MAKE PINEAPPLE PIZZA LOSES CASE
An Italian chef who was fired from a Brisbane restaurant after he refused to make a pineapple pizza has lost his unfair dismissal case. Davide Tamburella told management at the now-closed La Costa that adding the fruit was an “insult to his culture.”
Tamburella was dismissed in May 2026, about two weeks after a meeting with management over a string of complaints. The central issue was his refusal to prepare ham-and-pineapple pizzas for a function that, according to The Independent, was worth more than A$15,000. Tamburella told his bosses that any direction from management “need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture.”
He took his case to Australia’s Fair Work Commission. On November 3, 2026, the commission rejected his claim, though not because of his culinary purism. The application was dismissed because it was filed too late, according to the BBC.
The commission noted this was the third time in four years that Tamburella had refused to put pineapple on a pizza. He had even previously asked his boss to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza.”
His stand against the topping is particularly bold given his location. Queensland produces all of Australia’s commercially grown pineapples and is home to the Big Pineapple, a 16-metre fibreglass landmark on the Sunshine Coast.
The restaurant’s managing director, Elliot Ingram, told the Daily Mail there was “more to this story than a pizza topping.” Management had also raised concerns about Tamburella’s communication style, foul language, and an incident in April 2026 where he fractured bones in his right hand after striking a metal handrail at work.
Tamburella had been hoping the restaurant would sponsor his visa so he could become a permanent resident. Following his dismissal, La Costa ended the sponsorship process. The restaurant itself then closed its doors in July 2026.
Tamburella is now working at a different restaurant in Brisbane. The menu does not feature pineapple.
