World Politics2 min(s) read
Restaurant owner who fired chef for 'refusing to put pineapple on pizza' breaks silence on why he did it
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A restaurant owner has explained why he fired a chef for allegedly refusing to put pineapple on a pizza.
A Hawaiian pizza - ham and pineapple for the uninitiated - can be a divisive choice of topping at the best of times.
Some people love the subtle fruity kick, while others believe it's a crime to put fruit on top of a pizza.
While it can cause some arguments while ordering take-out, that's usually as far as the debate goes.
However, one chef actually lost his job over pineapple on a pizza, after allegedly refusing to add the topping.
Davide Tamburella was fired from La Costa restaurant in Queensland, Australia, following a number of complaints about his behavior, including refusing to put pineapple on a pizza for guests at a function.
Tamburella consulted Australia's Fair Work Commission to claim he had been unfairly dismissed, stating that "putting pineapple on a pizza is an insult to his culture," per a court ruling.
According to the ruling, which was released on November 3, it was noted that the incident in question was actually the third time he'd refused to put pineapple on a pizza in the last four years.
Per the BBC, he'd asked his boss to "check how important it is for Italians not to put pineapple on a pizza."
His former boss, Elliot Ingram, has since addressed the allegations, telling The Age: "Who would have thought that pineapple on a pizza would cause such a debate across the world?
"With Italians they’re very traditional when it comes to their food, especially pizza. But at the end of the day, we’re not in Italy. We’re in Australia and we have to go with what the customers’ reasonable requests are."
Ingram admitted: "We’re in Queensland after all – we’ve got the best pineapples in the world, but I’m more of a pepperoni guy myself, to be honest."
He added that the pineapple wasn't the sole reason Tamburella was let go, adding that it was down to "an overall contribution of multiple factors."
Tamburella's application for unfair dismissal was not successful as he entered it more than 20 days after he was fired, later telling the Commission that this was down to the fact he "needed to collect all the data he required."
However, his request for an extension was denied with Commissioner Jennifer Hunt stating there were no exceptional circumstances, and dismissed the case.