Zarghuna S. Adel was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan, where as a child she learned traditional Afghan cooking and recipes from her mother. After immigrating to the U.S., she returned to Afghanistan in 2004 to research and collect forgotten recipes and foods and runs popular Afghan cooking groups online. Zarghuna holds a B.A. in English from Kabul University and a Teaching Diploma and M.A. in Education from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. She lives in Moreno Valley, California.