Farouk Zubli was born in 1941 in Baghdad, Iraq. His father owned a cinema in Baghdad and in his interview spoke about traditional foods eaten on Shabbat and the Jewish festivals. He moved to Israel with his family in 1951 and at the age of 15 went to study in Paris. In 1963 Farouk moved to Iran and established his own photographic supplies company. In 1979, during the Iranian Revolution Farouk and his wife moved to the UK where they settled.