Australian restaurant fires Italian chef for refusing to make pineapple pizza

On 20 May 2026 a Brisbane kitchen became the focus of a national labour dispute when Davide Tamburella, the head chef at La Costa, was dismissed after refusing to prepare ham and pineapple pizzas for a private function.

La Costa and the high‑value private event

La Costa, located in Fortitude Valley, had been catering to an affluent clientele. The private function at the centre of the controversy was a booking worth more than A$15 000. Management, led by managing director Elliot Ingram, instructed Tamburella to include ham and pineapple pizzas on the menu.

Media additions

Tamburella “reiterated that, as an Italian, he considered pineapple on pizza an insult to his culture and that a company directive did not necessarily have to be respected when it was offensive”.

“need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture”

Davide Tamburella, chef, via Fair Work Commission hearing

Repeated refusals and prior conduct

The tribunal record showed this was not an isolated incident. Over the previous four years Tamburella had twice turned down similar requests, each time urging his employer to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza”.

“check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza”

Davide Tamburella, chef, via Fair Work Commission hearing

Management, however, framed the dismissal as part of a broader disciplinary pattern. Complaints lodged against Tamburella included use of foul language, an abrasive communication style and “escalation of frustration in the workplace”. The commission’s findings also referenced an injury in April 2026 when Tamburella fractured several bones in his right hand after striking a metal handrail.

The disciplinary meeting and the sponsor’s response

At the time of dismissal Tamburella was in the third year of an employer‑sponsored 186 skilled‑worker visa pathway, which would have led to permanent residency. Ingram admitted he delayed notifying the immigration authorities in the hope the visa would be approved before the sponsorship had to be withdrawn. The delay proved futile; the restaurant’s sponsorship was terminated shortly after the dismissal.

Fair Work Commission ruling

Tamburella lodged an unfair‑dismissal claim with Australia’s Fair Work Commission, arguing that the direction to make pineapple pizza was culturally offensive and therefore unlawful. The commission released its decision on Tuesday, 5 November 2026. It confirmed the three‑time refusal record and the request to “check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza”, but dismissed the claim on procedural grounds because the application was filed past the statutory deadline.

The commissioner, Jennifer Hunt, noted that the case “did not meet the criteria for exceptional circumstances” and therefore the merits of the dismissal were not examined. As a result, no legal precedent was set on whether cultural objections can override a lawful workplace direction.

Media angles and differing emphases

British outlets such as The Guardian highlighted the cultural dimension, quoting Tamburella’s statement that “as an Italian, putting pineapple on a pizza is an insult to his culture”. Australian sources like Clarin and the BBC gave equal weight to the behavioural complaints and the April injury, painting a broader picture of workplace tension.

U.K. Talk radio site Lbc and Indian portals India Today echoed the “more to this story than a pizza topping” line, emphasizing the restaurant’s cited financial pressures in Fortitude Valley as a factor in the eventual closure of La Costa when its lease expired in July 2026.

Queensland’s pineapple paradox

The dispute acquired a regional twist because Queensland is Australia’s “pineapple heartland”, producing virtually all of the nation’s commercially grown pineapples and hosting the iconic “Big Pineapple” on the Sunshine Coast. The irony of a chef in the state refusing the fruit was noted across the coverage, adding a cultural‑regional subtext to the legal drama.

Aftermath and the chef’s next chapter

Following La Costa’s closure, Tamburella secured a position as head chef at another Italian establishment in Brisbane’s West End, listed on his LinkedIn profile as Don Gino. A menu review by the BBC confirmed that pineapple does not appear on the new restaurant’s offerings.

The Fair Work Commission’s procedural dismissal leaves open the question of whether cultural objections can ever constitute a lawful defence against a reasonable instruction. Legal analysts cited in the Australian press suggested that any future challenge would need to satisfy the “exceptional circumstances” test, which was not met in this case.