The Freaky Table / Zaira Zarotti

Casa
Italia
Venice
The Freaky Table / Zaira Zarotti

From a Venetian Garden to my Freaky Table. Food, Life, Photography and Raku Ceramics by Zaira Zarotti. My name is Zaira, I'm the author of The Freaky Table blog.

My work mostly consists of photography and food styling. Here, in my country house near Venice in Italy I develop new recipes or use the Italian and Venetian traditionals ones. I use organic and local products or the vegetables grown in my vegetable garden. I’m always looking out for objects and materials that are vintage and out of the ordinary, and I personally take care of the styling. It doe

sn’t matter where they come from or what condition they are in, what’s important for me is their quirkiness. Just like the food that reaches my table, also the objects have their own unique story. For this reason I have started a new production of ceramics raku. Each unique piece is entirely designed and handmade by myself. In this Japanese technique, deeply rooted into the Zen spirit, I’ve found a connection with my search for beauty in the imperfection. The Freaky Table is about all this: it’s about my time here and about the nostalgic beauty of the simple and imperfect things in daily life. This is my project and this is my life-story. Contact: [email protected]

05/05/2026

Venice enters that restless, feverish state that precedes the Biennale di Venezia, and I find myself moving within a rhythm I have always known.
The first time was in 1993: I was four years old. I was running through the Italian Pavilion, dazzled by the white light of its freshly painted walls, and among César’s “Compressions,” with my mom running after me. I have never missed a single Biennale, as if each edition marked a passage more than an appointment.
This year, though, I decided to move in the opposite direction and return home to Tuscany, to a more stripped-down and quiet way of living.

Flora is three, and her three years are a constant exercise of will—hers. Stubborn, at times uncontainable. It is right that it is this way, and it is exhausting in a way that cannot really be explained. The time it takes to move through even the simplest things fills almost the entire day; what remains must be guarded with a certain discipline, if anything else is to continue to exist. And I have so many things I want to create, but for me creativity works through subtraction: it needs to be left without apparent nourishment, so that it can find a more precise path on its own.

The day before leaving I was still deeply immersed in a video production for the wonderful world of ‘s perfumes in a Venetian villa lent to us by friends, with the car already packed for the coming months, looking for irises and a trace of burgundy.
I was moving through the park in the beautiful six o’clock light, wearing my silk dress. Flora was at home with her Nonna. A few chaotic and perfect hours, partly captured by .
In these images I recognize myself: in my age, in my time, in this imperfection that no longer asks to be corrected, only held in balance. Things are left behind, but others open up. It is complex at times, but it is a necessary movement. ✨

04/04/2026

I happened upon a field of wild pea flowers behind the house.
They were just there—low to the ground, a little unruly, in no hurry to be noticed.
The Venetian countryside is unforgiving with blooming fields: before you even have time to take them in, there’s already a tractor ready to flatten everything, to return it to a neat, level stretch of land prepared for sowing.
In my ideal plans, I thought we would already be in Tuscany by now—and instead, we’re still here. This Venetian spring has held us back, with its wildflowers and its tender green first harvests.

It had been a long time since I’d taken the time to play with flowers, with light, with ingredients, to photograph; a process that, in my mind, has more to do with preserving than with proving. There is something deeply maternal about this, and I had never really considered it before.
It has become such a part of who I am—this maternal way of being in things—that even when I’m alone and find myself quietly taking pleasure in doing things “the way I used to,” I can’t quite remember what that felt like anymore. And the most incredible thing is that it’s both beautiful and frightening at the same time.

And yet, the recipes at home are always the same: at Easter there are quail eggs (Flora loves them), risi e bisi (rice with peas), a timeless Venetian classic, a savory ricotta cheesecake with primroses, Baked Eggs (Uova in Cocotte) with wild aparagus and chives.
I’m still wearing clothes by and the Venetian countryside is always the same too—caught between fading villas and flowering trees that are there one year and gone the next.

If you’re subscribed to my Substack newsletter, you’ll receive an email with the recipes + extra photos—and if you’re not yet, I’ve left the link in my stories, so you can step even further into the world of

13/03/2026

Without a doubt, a little angel — a rare and luminous presence — who, three years ago today, quietly transformed me into a new version of myself.

Today I celebrate this little girl, and perhaps a little bit myself too, for bringing her into the world with courage and so much hope.

Flora, you are deeply loved.

There are many things I cherish about my life, but nothing compares to the happiness I feel when I am simply with you — present, attentive, genuinely curious about the beautiful soul you are!

Buon compleanno Floretta mia ❤️

15/12/2025

After a long season in the Tuscan countryside, far from the lagoon, I find myself dreaming of a Venetian holiday table.
I count the days until I can return home and to the kitchen, to the ingredients that carry my roots.
Flavours I grew up with. Gestures passed down. A way of cooking rooted in memory.
This carousel shares a few festive recipes from my book Venice Between Kitchen and Atelier.
It’s a book that moves between food and painting, between everyday life and art, telling stories of family, traditions, and lives held together by a love for beauty, for art, and for good food.

👉🏼 You can use XMAS20 code to get 20%off on (link in stories e bio) to have it in time for the holidays — a gift for anyone who loves Venice, cooking, or simply the art of living well.

Recipes in order of appearance:

- Spider crab “venetian style”
- Venetian mostarda, on crostini with mascarpone
- Risotto with mullet “bòsega”
- Scallops with mushrooms
- Sweet and sour pearl (Borettane) onions
- Venetian Zabaione
✨

09/10/2025

I’ve been in Tuscany for a month now — embracing slower rhythms and new habits in a season of life that feels new, no matter which way I look at it.

It’s a time of refuge — in a land both gentle and wild, generous like the hearts of the Maremma people. A place where nature takes center stage and quietly reminds you that peace and harmony should always stand at the top of our human priorities.

I’ve struggled to remain present on these screens. From within my bubble of privilege and possibility, watching the world lose sight of compassion and tenderness has felt — and still feels — like witnessing a slow drift into dissonance, into something surreal.

So I turned my gaze inward. Toward what unfolds in the everyday. I’ve tried to make it meaningful — for Flora, of course, but also for ourselves, as part of a world that, while not always fair, still leaves room for change through the quiet power of individual choices.

To stand for what truly matters. To care for what is beautiful. To nurture it, and to pass it on.

Like the grape — destined to become Brunello di Montalcino thanks to those who, generation after generation, have tended these vines and this land with reverence.

It was a joy and a privilege to document this year’s harvest at — to be part of a shared, grounded, and quietly powerful energy. A rare and precious thing, in these uncertain times.

21/07/2025

This is… series for the ! ⤵️

What struck me, as I stood before this small and quiet still life by Anne Vallayer—something that often happens to me when I encounter a painting—was the light. A subtle light, gently brushing the objects, allowing them to emerge with balance and restraint.
It took me back to my early years in photography, when I too sought a kind of perfect order: every element in its place, every gesture deliberate. An instinctive rigor I eventually felt the need to loosen—to make room for a truer kind of disorder. Still intentional, but open to the imperfect beauty of the everyday.
Working on this image felt like a return. Perhaps not by chance: Vallayer herself was still very young when she began to shine. At twenty-six, she was admitted to the Académie Royale, supported by Vernet and influenced by Chardin—a strong presence in her early work, and curiously enough, in my own journey too.
It’s a thread that runs deep, even through my father, Luciano Zarotti. In his early paintings, I can see that same quiet light. For years, we had lunch in our kitchen beside one of his oil paintings, titled “Per Chardin”.
Vallayer’s father was a goldsmith, and her mother took over the shop upon his death. From her family, the artist inherited an attention to detail. Another common thread?
As a matter of fact, this image was born from a family collaboration: the backdrop painted by my mother ,the terracotta vase created by , an inspired contribution on that suspended, Chardin-like tone—conceived together with my father, —and the artistic direction of
A family of artists, a collaborative work, in homage to a young painter who, with grace and precision, won over not only Marie Antoinette but, more importantly, time itself.

Read more in tomorrow’s second part of this series for the Berlin.

24/06/2025

So many adventures on our scrappy little freaky boat, getting lost in the maze of tiny canals in the Venetian South Lagoon… in the freezing cold or under the blazing sun—because those are the best seasons for hunting cape!

In Venice, we call all bivalve mollusks cape. There are many kinds, but the caparossoli from the lagoon—big clams with thick shells and insane flavor—are something else. You collect them by hand, one by one, poking your finger into little holes in the sand at low tide. It’s weirdly addictive…You just don’t want to stop 🤣

In my book Venice between kitchen and atelier I’ve shared some of our favorite recipes with these beauties, along with stories from our lagoon missions. You can now grab a copy with the discount code summer20 to try a few honest, simple, home-style Venetian dishes.

Link in stories!

27/04/2025

Currently living my Game of Thrones era—minus the dragons, plus medieval castles, bell towers, moody torch-lit vibes (thank you for making my lighting feel very Westeros-chic), and frugal but fabulous feasting.
It’s artichoke season, and I’m leaning all the way in.

In this carousel:

- Artichoke bottoms with poached eggs
- Violet baby artichokes (in the making), to be sautéed with plenty of garlic and parsley — the Venetian way.
- A white wine-crusted tart starring—you guessed it—more artichoke hearts

All recipes from my book “Venice between kitchen and atelier” published by
And yes—the discount code is still active, so if you haven’t grabbed your copy yet…better hurry, before the summer heat melts all good intentions 😅 (it’ already so warm here!).

Link in stories 👋🏼❤️

23/04/2025

Today, April 23rd, is World Book Day — and yes, there’s still time to celebrate! 🎉
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has already picked up a copy of “Venice between kitchen and atelier”, published by .
Every purchase really helps — and it’s incredibly encouraging to see this book find its way into your kitchens and bookshelves ❤️🙏🏼

If you haven’t grabbed it yet, this is the perfect moment to do so — not just to dive into the flavors and magic of Venice, but to support independent voices in food and art.
There’s even a 20% discount available on the publisher’s website! Just send me a DM and I’ll share the code with you.

In the photo: one of my favorite recipes from the “Potions and Liqueurs” chapter — Venetian VOV, an energizing, and natural restorative liqueur. A true elixir from the past.

20/04/2025

Easter in Tuscany.
Among quiet hills and wild-growing things, the season offers its humble gifts: tender herbs, sun-warmed earth, silence broken only by birdsong.
We cook what the land gives now — bitter greens, fresh eggs, wild fennel — and gather around tables that speak of rhythm, not rush.
May this time bring you a slower gaze, a deeper breath, and the quiet joy of noticing what returns, year after year...

In the photos, a few delicious bites to spark your inspiration, in order of appearance:

– Baked wild fennel flans with pane carasau and béchamel
– Homemade pici pasta with wild asparagus and Tuscan sausage
– Green shakshuka with farm eggs, wild asparagus, hop shoots, peas, artichokes, and toasted bread
– Acacia fritters — quite literally, flowers fried and dusted with vanilla sugar 🌱❤️

Indirizzo

Venezia, VE
Venice
30100

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