A native of
Bridgeport, Zarrilli was born to Michael Zarrilli (1897-1950) and Gina DiMaio (1894-1976). Zarrilli attended
Central High School in his hometown. In 1954, he graduated from the
University of Connecticut and married Mary Elise Larkin (1930-2019). Five years later, Zarrilli opened a cookware store named The Pot Shop. Its first location was on
Boylston Street in
Boston. He later opened other locations such as on
Boston Post Road in
Sudbury, where he resided, in 1962. Today, the company operates as an online-only store run in
Framingham by his daughter Mary Zarrilli and her husband, Rick Connaughton. Zarrilli became an activist and major opponent of the
Big Dig and its effect on traffic in Boston. He proposed the Boston Bypass as an alternative project. The plan consisted of building a ten-mile double-deck road-and-rail bridge over
Boston Harbor from
Dorchester to
Charlestown, including railway access to
Logan Airport. Its intent was to remove traffic from the
Central Artery. In 1995, Zarrilli entered the
Boston City Council election for District 1 councillor. He ran against Diane J. Modica and John Hugo. Modica won the race with Zarrilli receiving fifteen percent of the votes. In 1996, Zarrilli published a book titled "Boston Beanpot Cookery." Zarrilli died in 2018. ==Works==