Announcing my book: "Venice between Kitchen and Atelier"
Discover the book and watch the video teaser!
A few years ago, if someone had told me that a global pandemic would bring the world to a standstill for two years, that I would become the mother of a wonderful baby girl, and that I would publish a book, I probably would have found the last of these predictions the hardest to believe.
Not because writing a book felt unattainable. On the contrary, the idea of publishing had already taken shape in my mind during the early stages of my journey through photography, food, and art. However, I envisioned a project far removed from disposable products—something more akin to a journey, an object to be revisited and rediscovered over time. Such a project required maturity, both personal and artistic growth. I needed to evolve before I could collect and organize all the pieces of my story, creating a narrative that was both honest and refined—a true reflection of my world.
Today, I can finally say that I am truly proud to present myself to the world as the author of my first book: Venice between Kitchen and Atelier (Recipes Handed Down for Artists and Food Lovers).
This book was born with a simple yet profoundly complex intention—one that captures and blends two mysterious, almost alchemical worlds. Through the recipes and stories of my family of Venetian artists, it preserves a precious cultural heritage. It charts a path between the kitchen and the artist's atelier, intertwining flavors, images, and traditions in a continuous dialogue between art, food, and photography.
Venice Between Kitchen and Atelier is a 352-page book, printed in Italy by the publishing house Elzeviro. Hardcover, price €49.90. English & Italian Editions Available. (The French edition is in progress!).
Text, Concept and Photography Zaira Zarotti. Editorial Direction and Production Alessandro Tusset di Collalto. Art Direction and Design Pamela Berry.
FROM MY PUBLISHER:
Poised between the ancestral dimension of lagoon cuisine and the more mysterious one – at times esoteric – of the artist’s atelier, this “atypical” cookbook will take you to the roots of Venetian culture, revealing the secret alchemies of two different but deeply connected worlds by what lies at the basis of all civilization: food and its ingredients.
It is a priceless legacy of centuries-old traditions and knowledge guarded by generations of passionate cooks and extraordinary artists that Zaira Zarotti, internationally known photographer and food writer, rediscovers and enhances with this precious collection of handed-down, sometimes forgotten recipes.
Driven by her strong bond to Venice and family artistic history, her research and evocative images in chiaroscuro will inspire you to try your hand at authentic Venetian cuisine, rich in cross-cultural influences (Istrian, Dalmatian, Jewish, Turkish), and will encourage you to look at art in a different light.
BOOK TEASER
Here you can watch the teaser I created, which, due to its length, resembles more of a short film. (Photography, production, editing, and narration, all by yours truly). I invite you into the spaces of Venice and my home—the kitchen and the ateliers—that play a central role in my story. Through these images, perhaps it becomes easier to understand why these two seemingly distant worlds are surprisingly close.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
When people ask me when this project began to take shape, I reply that the initial outline of this book has always been present, and visible to all, since 2015—the year I started my blog, The Freaky Table. A curious name, perhaps, but one that already encapsulated the spirit of what I wanted to convey. The subtitle (perhaps naively understated, yet still there) read: "stories and recipes of a family of artists," immediately revealing its essence—not just recipes, but an intimate and visual diary, a journey through Venetian cuisine, my family, painting, and art.
The editorial approach of that blog was never an artificial construct nor a commercially calculated strategy. On the contrary, it took shape naturally, as an authentic expression of who I am and what surrounds me. Writing about food, sharing stories of Venice, and intertwining them with family and artistic narratives meant opening the doors to my world, sharing my background and roots. Every word, every image published on The Freaky Table spoke of a cultural and personal heritage, of passions nurtured since childhood, and of traditions and experiences lived daily.
It wasn’t a choice driven by a desire to impress or follow trends, but rather a deep need to give voice to an authentic story—my own. This blending of elements made the blog a faithful reflection of my identity, a place where food became a pretext for talking about culture, family bonds, and artistic inspirations.
Today, looking back, I realize how much that project was more than just a blog. It was a narrative experiment, a creative laboratory, and a sentimental archive. It was, and still is, a window into my world—an invitation to sit at my table and share not only food but also a much broader and inherited story, one that flows from my parents’ Ateliers to my grandparents’ Kitchens and the Art studios of great Masters.
The book was there—in a more naive and instantaneous form—tucked away in that little corner of the web, the result of countless amateur technological attempts.
This book gathers and develops all of that into something more mature, deliberate, and in-depth. It becomes a physical object that lends solidity to the narrative, giving the work a tangible presence that the web, powerful as it may be, cannot always provide. The feel of paper under one's hands brings it back to the realm of the real, the concrete, the timeless. I love this aspect, and it’s something I reflected on deeply—especially after becoming a mother and feeling a new desire to create a tangible legacy of knowledge for Flora.
Ultimately, this awareness of preserving and passing down what I value most is what drove me to compile the pages of this cookbook.
It’s structured in two parts: the first, more extensive and comprehensive, focuses on Venetian cuisine, offering a collection of both ancient and contemporary recipes; the second is dedicated to atelier recipes—preparations for artists, for painting or drawing—handed down through generations of extraordinary artists.
To view an excerpt from the book, you can download the press release here:
WHERE YOU CAN BUY THE BOOK
The book is available in bookstores, on Amazon.it, and on the publisher Elzeviro’s website, in both Italian and English editions. Worldwide shipping is available.
*If your country is not listed for shipping, please email shipping.elzeviro@gmail.com for the best cost estimate and direct assistance.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My deepest gratitude for this incredible project goes to my father, Luciano Zarotti, and my mother, Dorina Petronio (consultants for the atelier recipes), for passing down the precious legacy contained in this book and for bringing art into my life. To Francesco @thefreakyraku for sharing this journey with me and so much more. To Pamela Berry, art director, graphic designer, and editor of the book, and to the entire team of editors, translators, and proofreaders who patiently read, re-read, and polished the drafts. To my publisher Alessandro Tusset of Collalto, for turning my dream into reality through @elzeviro_editions.
Finally, I wish to thank all my loyal readers and followers of @thefreakytable and @thefreakyraku who have supported and appreciated my work over the years. Your encouragement has inspired me and continues to give me confidence. Thank you for allowing me to share all this you.