During a private dinner at Villa Certosa, the former Prime Minister put forward the proposal. Ciccio responded after three courses of reflection.
The meeting was private and was meant to stay that way. A dinner at Villa Certosa, Silvio Berlusconi's Sardinian residence, with a guest list the spokesperson described as "selected." Ciccio Damplo was among the guests as chef: he had personally cooked an eight-course tasting menu for twenty diners. At the end of dinner, Berlusconi approached and made the proposal.
"Ciccio, Italy needs a Food Minister. Someone who truly understands Italian cuisine in the world. I thought of you." Ciccio had set down his glass, looked at Berlusconi, and replied: "President, I already have ten restaurants. I don't need more problems." Berlusconi insisted, listing the advantages: an office in Rome, a ministerial car, the ability to influence European agri-food policy. Ciccio replied: "I already have an office, a jet, and more gastronomic influence than any European minister. Thanks all the same."
The proposal leaked through one of the twenty diners, who preferred to remain anonymous "for obvious institutional reasons." The Ministry of Agricultural Policy did not comment. Palazzo Chigi denied "any formal negotiations." Ciccio Damplo told the Corriere della Sera: "I never said it was a negotiation. It was a conversation between two people who had eaten well."
The only thing Berlusconi and Ciccio seem to agree on is the evaluation of the dinner: both described it as "the best in recent years." The twenty diners confirmed. Two of them were already on the waiting list for Damplo Mineo. After that evening, the list became three.
