An Italian chef refused to make pineapple pizza for a customer spending over $10,000, calling it ‘an insult to his culture,’ then lost his job

Davide Tamburella lost his job at a restaurant in Australia after he repeatedly refused to add pineapple to pizza orders, BroBible reports. The chef, who is from Italy, worked at a place called La Costa in Brisbane for four years. He stood his ground on the topping choice, even when customers at private events asked for the fruit to be included on their pizzas.

The situation came to light during a hearing with Australia’s Fair Work Commission. Tamburella contested his dismissal after he was let go in May. Management at the restaurant had called him into a meeting to discuss his behavior a couple of weeks before he was fired. 

One of the main issues raised by his bosses involved his refusal to follow customer requests for pineapple. Tamburella defended his actions by saying requests “need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture.”

Management also raised concerns regarding his foul language and communication style

He declined to add the fruit to pizzas on three separate occasions during his four years at the restaurant. When management brought up the issue, he told his boss to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza.” 

This stance reflects a long-running culinary debate. While pizza has roots that go back over a thousand years to Italy, the version most people know today started in Naples in the late 1800s. Pineapple as a topping is much newer, reportedly dating back to 1962 when a Greek immigrant named Sam Panopoulo created the Hawaiian pizza in Ontario.

The disagreement over pizza ingredients was not the only reason for his termination. Management also cited concerns regarding his “foul language, his communication style, and ‘escalation of frustration in the workplace’.” The combination of these factors led to the end of his employment at La Costa. The restaurant itself has since closed down.

Tamburella did not succeed in his appeal to the Fair Work Commission because he filed the paperwork too late. Even though the legal challenge did not go his way, he managed to move on to a new position. He is now reportedly working at a different restaurant in Brisbane. This new spot is a better fit for his culinary philosophy because it does not feature any pineapple on the menu.