‘An insult to his culture’: Italian chef sacked for not putting pineapple on pizza loses bid to get job back

Australia’s Fair Work Commission heard that Davide Tamburella was sacked for refusing to use the controversial topping

With its sea foam-green and white decor, exposed brick columns and “classic Italian dishes” served atop European oak tables, La Costa was billed as an elegant slice of Italy in the urban heart of Queensland, Australia’s sunshine state.

“We promise, it’ll only take a moment to realize you’re not in Brisbane anymore, you’ve made it to the Italian Riviera,” the now closed restaurant’s website still reads.

But for its disgruntled former head chef, it seems, just one moment – or, more specifically, one ingredient – was all it took to break the spell conjuring the “luxurious splendor of Italy’s coastline” and to plonk his diners right back into the nightclub district of Queensland’s…