Italian chef fired by Australia restaurant after refusing to put pineapple on pizza, calls it 'insult to his culture' - Mothership

It was the third time in four years that he refused to do so. He's working in Queensland which is considered the country's pineapple heartland.

An Italian chef was fired by a Brisbane restaurant in Queensland, Australia, after refusing to put pineapples on pizza as he felt that it was an "insult to his culture".

The chef, Davide Tamburella, had refused to do so three times in the past four years, the BBC reported.

This incident was brought to light after he approached Australia's Fair Work Commission and claimed he had been unfairly dismissed.

Tamburella was fired in May 2026 about two weeks after he had a meeting with the restaurant's management, who supposedly had complaints about his behaviour.

On one occasion, he had reportedly refused to give guests ham and pineapple pizza at a function, BBC reported.

Tamburella said that any direction from management "need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture".

He lost his unfair dismissal claim as the application had been filed too late, according to a ruling released by the commission on Nov. 3.

It stated that Tamburella had previously requested that his boss checked "how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza".

According to BBC, the state of Queensland, where Tamburella was fired, produces all of Australia's commercially-grown pineapples.

As such, it is considered the country's pineapple heartland.

BBC reported that there had been separate concerns about Tamburella's communication style, use of foul language and "escalation of frustration in the workplace".

The ruling further stated that Tamburella struck a metal hand rail and fractured bones in his right hand in April 2026.

At the time, he hoped the restaurant would sponsor his visa allowing skilled workers to become permanent residents.

The tribunal heard that the restaurant ended the process after fired him.

According to news.com.au, Tamburella is now working at a different restaurant in Brisbane.

Checks by the BBC found that its menu does not have pineapple.