Visa process restart looms for Italian chef Davide Tamburella, sacked after refusing pineapple pizza orders

A dispute over pizza

Tamburella had asked his employer, Elliot Ingram, to check how important it was to Italians not to put pineapple on pizza. The disagreement came to a head when a customer arranging a large function requested the pizzas.

Employer cited function order

The event’s bill exceeded A$15,000 (£7,800), according to the commission hearing. Ingram said the customer paying for the function wanted ham and pineapple pizza, and that he had learned in hospitality to pick his battles.

Management also cited Tamburella’s alleged inappropriate language, communication style and escalation of frustration during service. Tamburella alleged his dismissal was partly motivated by a workplace injury and breached Australia’s Fair Work Act.

Challenge and visa consequences

Tamburella lodged an application alleging his dismissal violated the Fair Work Act, but he lost his bid to challenge it. The commission’s decision did not establish whether the allegations about the reasons for his dismissal were justified.

Tamburella had spent more than three years in the employer-sponsored subclass 186 visa process, a pathway to permanent residency for eligible skilled workers. His application was not approved in that period, so he would have to restart the process.

Pineapple growing in Queensland

The restaurant was based in Queensland, one of Australia’s principal pineapple-growing regions. The state government lists the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay, Yeppoon, coastal North Queensland and the Atherton Tablelands as growing areas.