Italian Chef Fired From Queensland Restaurant for Refusing to Put Pineapple on Pizza
The commission said he filed too late after refusing a manager’s order and citing cultural offense, with the restaurant also raising conduct concerns.
- On Tuesday, Fair Work Commission Commissioner Jennifer Hunt dismissed an unfair dismissal claim by Brisbane chef Davide Tamburella, finding his application was filed after the statutory deadline.
- La Costa Restaurant management fired Tamburella in May after he repeatedly refused to place pineapple on pizzas, which he claimed was an 'insult to his culture' as an Italian.
- Managing Director Elliot Ingram noted that beyond the pizza dispute, La Costa Restaurant cited 'performance concerns,' including foul language and an 'escalation of frustration in the workplace.'
- Tamburella has since secured a position as head chef at Don Gino in West End, according to his LinkedIn profile, though his bid to return to La Costa was unsuccessful.
- Queensland, Australia's pineapple heartland, features the 16-metre-high 'The Big Pineapple' landmark, and a 2017 YouGov poll found about 53 per cent of people liked the fruit on their pizza.
88 Articles
88 Articles
Years go by, gastronomic fashions alternate, but certain things never change. On the one hand, foreigners' incomprehensible obsession with pizza (in Australia, according to Menulog data, the variant "Hawaiian" was the second most sold takeaway pizza last year); on the other hand, the unshakable aversion of the Italians resists, "the creators of the famous dish" in accepting such a questionable mix. A defence of tradition that, if you wear the ch…
Rebellion, Italian style. In Australia, a chef was fired from his restaurant job for adding pineapple to his pizza.
With pineapples on the pizza the minds split. An Italian cook has a clear opinion. This leads to the fact that he loses his job.
Mamma mia! Is there a successor to Meloni?
The Independent
The Independent (US)Italian chef sacked for ‘refusing to put pineapple on pizza’
Davide Tamburella said adding the fruit to the Italian dish was ‘an insult to his culture’
It has been an insult to his culture to do so, he now says.
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