The soul of Materia
Great ingredients,
one family.
Materia Osteria Contemporanea was born from a simple idea: cooking with respect. Respect for those who produce, for those who bring the food to the table, for those who sit down. A story that begins long before 2026.
The work
you don’t see.
Every evening, before the first guest walks in, a whole day of work has already gone by. The selection of ingredients, the preparation, the choices nobody will talk about at dinner because they’ve already been made well.
That’s what Francesco means when he says people should understand the work behind it. Not to get applause, but because that awareness changes the way you eat.
The raw ingredient
Every ingredient, a choice.
Before reaching the table, every ingredient goes through a simple question: where does it come from, and does it make sense to use it now? It’s work that’s rarely seen, but you can taste it in every dish.
The Raiti family has been from Ferrara for generations. Before Materia came Estebar: a pizzeria, a restaurant, a neighborhood landmark since 1975. Fifty years of cooking, hospitality and trust earned dish after dish.
Materia wasn’t born to forget that history. It was born to carry it forward in a contemporary way: more care over ingredients, more research into sources, more attention to every detail of the dining room.
Opening a second restaurant nine meters from the first isn’t a trivial choice. It’s a statement: what we’ve learned is worth taking further.
“We don’t look for complication, we look for honesty of flavor.”
Estebar · Since 1975
The roots of everything.
Estebar is the Raiti family’s pizzeria. It’s right there, at Via delle Scienze 13, a few steps from Materia. Open since 1975, it has become over time a Ferrara institution: the place you come back to, where you feel known, where quality isn’t a promise but a habit.
Francesco Raiti, chef, researcher, the creative engine of this project, grew his palate and his vision in that kitchen. Materia is what happens when that vision meets new ambitions.
The project
Francesco and cooking
as research.
Francesco Raiti isn’t just a chef. He’s an observer. Every ingredient that arrives in the kitchen goes through a question: where does it come from? How was it handled? Does it make sense to use it now?
He’s the one who pushed for tasting menus, for wines by the glass chosen winery by winery, for the idea that even an aperitivo can be done properly. Materia is the result of that curiosity applied to every detail.
The menu changes every 3 months, not for fashion, but because Francesco doesn’t want to cook something that makes no sense at that moment. If the catch doesn’t come in, there’s no fish dish. Simple.
Francesco also brings the cooking of Materia outside the restaurant, for private events and catering.
“We want people to understand the work behind it.”
Francesco Raiti · Materia Osteria Contemporanea
“I don’t go to work, I go to have fun.”
Mattia Raiti · Materia Osteria ContemporaneaThe dining room
Mattia and wine
as conversation.
Mattia welcomes you, listens, and guides you through dinner, from the first moment to the last glass.
The wine list is built on his tastes. Every label is there because he’s tasted and chosen it. There’s no formal method: there’s a conversation. Tell him what kind of wine you have in mind (fragrant, dry, mineral, soft) and he has three or four bottles that match what you’re looking for.
“You give me your idea of wine and I have three or four labels with those characteristics.”Mattia
He learned how to be with people in the family, watching those who did the same thing before him: making people feel at home without pressuring them. A smile, a greeting, and the rest follows.
He hasn’t always worked in hospitality. Before, he was a surveyor. He chose the dining room because that’s where he felt at home.
Our pillars
Short supply chain
We work with local producers and selected suppliers. We know where every ingredient comes from.
Seasonal cooking
The menu changes every 3 months. Not for fashion: because the raw ingredient demands it.
Family
Materia is a family project. The care that goes into it can’t be learned: you carry it with you.
Frequently asked questions
What our guests ask most often.
Who’s the chef at Materia?
Francesco Raiti, who grew up in the kitchen at Estebar, now leads Materia with a research-driven approach to the raw ingredient.
Who looks after the dining room and the wines?
Mattia Raiti, Francesco’s brother. He looks after the welcome in the dining room and built the wine list label by label, following the tastes of those who sit at the table.
Is Materia part of the Estebar group?
No. Materia is an independent project, with its own kitchen, its own menu and its own identity. The two businesses share the same family, not the same premises.
The table is ready.
Now you know our story. All that’s left is to sit down at the table.