An Italian chef fired from a Brisbane restaurant after repeatedly refusing to put pineapple on a pizza says he would make exactly the same call again, insisting the topping would have destroyed the flavour of a dough recipe passed down from his grandmother.
Davide Tamburella was dismissed from La Costa Restaurant and Bar in Fortitude Valley on 20 May after declining for the third time to add pineapple to a pizza, despite being formally directed to do so by management. The incident has since drawn attention from broadcasters as far away as Britain and India, turning a Brisbane kitchen dispute into a minor piece of international food controversy.
Why the Brisbane Chef Drew the Line at Pineapple Pizza
Tamburella says his refusal was never about stubbornness for its own sake. It was, he explains, about protecting the integrity of a traditional Italian dough he learned to make as a child.
"The flavour of the dough is really important and the flavour of the dough has to be respected," he said. "If you add the acidity and the sweetness of pineapple, you're going to cover all that."
He also described the request as an insult to his culinary culture, saying he had been hired specifically to prepare authentic Italian food. That said, he is careful to draw a distinction between the topping and the fruit itself.
"I love pineapple in general. I love pineapple. I love eating pineapple," he said, suggesting his objection was entirely about context rather than taste.
The dispute was triggered when a customer celebrating a birthday asked for pineapple on a pizza. After Tamburella refused on two earlier occasions, management directed him a third time to fulfil the request. When he refused again, he was let go.
Restaurant Management Saw It Differently
La Costa's general manager, Elliot Ingram, defended the restaurant's position, arguing that pineapple on pizza is a common and accepted offering at Australian Italian restaurants and that honouring a customer's reasonable request was simply part of doing business in Australia.
"Look, I'm more of a pepperoni guy myself, to be honest," Ingram said. "But at the end of the day, we're not in Italy, we're in Australia, and we have to go with what the customer's reasonable requests are."
Ingram also indicated the dismissal was not purely about the topping. He raised additional concerns about Tamburella's communication style, his language in the workplace, and what management saw as an escalating pattern of frustration.
Where the Chef Stands on Other Controversial Toppings
Tamburella's position on other non-traditional pizza additions is a mixed picture. He is surprisingly open to eggs, saying both raw and cooked eggs can legitimately go on a pizza. Barbecue sauce, however, is another matter entirely.
"No, barbecue sauce. It's so sweet," he said, ruling it out firmly.
Chicken also fails to earn his approval, though for cultural rather than purely flavour-based reasons. "Chicken is not something that Italians would see in a restaurant in general," he said.
Fair Work Bid Fails, Restaurant Closes
After losing his job, Tamburella lodged an unfair dismissal application with the Fair Work Commission. However, the application was thrown out because it had been filed outside the required time limit, leaving him without a formal remedy.
In a notable postscript to the saga, La Costa Restaurant and Bar has since shut down entirely.
Despite the professional setback and the failed legal bid, Tamburella says he carries no regrets and would not change his decision if faced with the same situation again.
"I don't have any regrets now, I will not have regrets later on," he said.
As for his unwanted moment in the global spotlight, the chef sounds more weary than triumphant about it. "I just want to work and maybe be famous for the things that I do and not for the things that I don't do," he said.
