An Italian chef has been sacked from a restaurant in Australia after refusing to serve customers ham and pineapple pizza, describing the topping as an ‘insult to his culture’.
Davide Tamburella was fired from the now-closed La Costa restaurant in Brisbane in May, following a meeting with management about a series of complaints concerning his behaviour.
One of the issues was his refusal to make ham and pineapple pizzas for guests at a function.
Tamburella reportedly told managers that their instructions ‘need not be followed when it is offensive to his culture’.
The dispute emerged after he took his dismissal to Australia’s Fair Work Commission, claiming he had been unfairly sacked.
But a ruling released on Tuesday noted that Tamburella had refused to use pineapple because ‘he considers, as an Italian, that putting pineapple on a pizza is an insult to his culture’.
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The commission also heard that he refused to use it on pizzas on two previous occasions over the past four years.
Queensland, however, which is where Brisbane is located, is known as Australia’s main pineapple-growing region.
Management, though, also had concerns about Tamburella’s use of foul language, communication style and what was described as an ‘escalation of frustration in the workplace’.
The ruling detailed an incident in April when the chef fractured bones in his right hand after striking a metal handrail.
Tamburella had hoped the restaurant would sponsor a visa allowing him to become a permanent resident of Australia. However, the sponsorship process was ended after he was dismissed.
His unfair dismissal claim was ultimately rejected because it had been submitted too late, according to the commission’s ruling.
The restaurant’s managing director, Elliot Ingram, told the Daily Mail there was ‘more to this story than a pizza topping’.
On his LinkedIn profile, the chef describes himself as focused on ‘delivering exceptional food’ and ‘improving business performance’.
His profile says he now works at another Brisbane restaurant – although pineapple does not appear on its menu.
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