Overview
- La Costa sacked head chef Davide Tamburella on 20 May after a disciplinary meeting that raised concerns about his performance and conduct.
- The dismissal followed an incident at a private function where Tamburella refused a customer request for ham and pineapple pizza and told management he considered the topping an "insult to his culture."
- The Fair Work Commission dismissed his unfair dismissal and general protections application on 3 November because it was lodged after the statutory 21‑day deadline, so the merits were not considered.
- Commission papers recorded other issues cited by La Costa, including prior refusals to make pineapple pizza over four years, use of inappropriate language, an April workplace injury that fractured his hand, and broader communication concerns.
- The sacking ended La Costa’s visa sponsorship of Tamburella’s employer‑sponsored subclass 186 permanent residency application, he must restart that process, and he appears to have taken a head‑chef role at Don Gino; the case highlights tensions between culinary identity, workplace direction, and immigration consequences and taps into a long‑running pineapple‑on‑pizza debate in Queensland.