The pineapple debate: Chef says he was fired from restaurant over refusal to use 'controversial' pizza topping

An Italian chef in Australia lost his job after giving his take on whether pineapple belongs on pizza, but for him, it was a matter of national pride, according to a labor dispute group’s report. 

The backstory:

Davide Tamburella was fired from Le Costa restaurant in Brisbane back in May after management raised several workplace concerns. One of them involved his refusal to prepare ham-and-pineapple pizzas for customers, the Australia’s Fair Work Commission said. 

The chef challenged his dismissal before the commission, but the commission declined to rule on whether the firing was justified because because he filed it past a 21-day deadline.

The report stated Tamburella acknowledged it was the third time in four years he refused a direction to put pineapple on pizza.

‘An insult’

The latest dispute reportedly involved a customer who requested ham-and-pineapple pizzas, but Tamburella, standing his ground, refused to allow them to have the pizza their way. 

The ruling from the commission states that Tamburella said that as an Italian, he considered putting pineapple on pizza an "insult to his culture." 

Elliot Ingram, the restaurant’s owner, said on social media there were "a multitude of different factors," not just pineapple toppings, that led to the restaurant parting ways with the chef. 

"There's more to this story than just pizza toppings," Ingram told 7 News in Australia.

The other concerns, Ingram said, included foul language, communication style and "escalation of frustration in the workplace." When it comes to the pineapple problem, Ingram said it’s a "very common" pizza topping in Australia, noting that he’s "more of a pepperoni guy" himself. 

"At the end of the day, we’re not in Italy," he said. "We’re in Australia." 

A question of priorities?

What they're saying:

A Greek-born Canadian restaurateur, Sam Panopoulos, is widely credited with inventing the "Hawaiian pizza" in 1962 at the Ontario restaurant he ran with his brothers. But even after more than 60 years, people still debate whether pineapple should ever find its way onto a pizza. 

Both sides of the debate seem perfectly willing to dig their heels into the dough.

On social media, some commenters argued that culinary tradition shouldn’t take priority over a customer’s order.

"What a hill to die on," one Reddit user said.

"Your work serves the item on the menu," another said. "You either agree with it and work there or don’t agree and don’t."

Another user claimed "pineapple rules supreme." 

One commenter, who claimed to have an Italian background said they "have always put pineapple on pizza. It's really bloody good." 

But another commenter took issue with a chef refusing to fulfill his patron’s request: "But he’s not the one eating it."  

One commenter took a more philosophical route, noting "blind adherence to tradition leads to stagnation."

And another summed it up this way: "Just let people enjoy things man. It’s that simple."

Dig deeper:

La Costa closed after its last lease expired, but Tamburella has reportedly been working at another Brisbane Italian restaurant. 

Pineapple, however, does not appear on that restaurant’s menu. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Fair Work Commission, Tamburella and Ingram for additional comment.

Peter Burke is a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital. He covers various lifestyle topics, with an emphasis on food and drink.

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