Italian chef sacked over pineapple pizza refusal loses bid to get job back

A pizza order at La Costa

Davide Tamburella was head chef at La Costa, an Italian restaurant in the Fortitude Valley district of Brisbane, Queensland, which promoted itself as a route to the Italian Riviera. The dispute arose during a large private function. The owner, Elliot Ingram, says the client paying for the event asked for a pizza with ham and pineapple, and Tamburella refused, calling the topping an insult to his culture. The Fair Work Commission heard that this was the third time the chef had declined the same instruction. Instead of complying, Tamburella asked Ingram to look into how strongly Italians object to pineapple on pizza. Ingram described the stakes of the booking this way:

“We had a large function come in, and they were spending in excess of $15,000”

Dismissal and a visa in limbo

Tamburella was let go on 20 May 2026, about two weeks after Ingram called him in to address performance concerns, and the pizza refusal was among the issues raised. At the time he was more than three years into a 186 visa application, an employer-sponsored route to permanent residency. Ingram says he delayed notifying the authorities that he would no longer employ the chef, hoping the visa would be approved first. It was not approved, so Tamburella would have to start the 186 process again. Tamburella links the dismissal to a workplace accident in which he struck a metal railing and fractured his right hand in two places. He argues that the restaurant's decision breached the Fair Work Act, Australia's law governing employment relations.

The commission's decision

Tamburella took his case to the Fair Work Commission, arguing that he had been unfairly dismissed. Commissioner Jennifer Hunt rejected the application because it was lodged outside the legal time limit, and no exceptional circumstances existed to accept it late. The ruling was filed on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. The commission did not rule on whether the dismissal itself was justified. Accounts of the wider reasoning differ, with one version holding that refusing a work instruction, even on grounds of personal belief, may justify dismissal, especially in hospitality where customer expectations matter.

Afterwards

Tamburella says on social media that throughout his career he has promoted respect for the quality of ingredients and the authenticity of dishes. He has since found work at another restaurant in Brisbane, and the BBC reports that pineapple does not appear on its menu. He also published an open letter to chefs calling for respect for tradition and original recipes. La Costa's website, now closed, still promised diners they would feel transported to the Italian Riviera. The Guardian notes that Queensland reveres the fruit so much that a large monument has been built in its honour, and many there would regard the refusal as sacrilege.