Feride was born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan and moved to the United States at the age of 24. She is the award-winning author of "Pomegranates & Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan" and the writer behind AZcookbook.com, a food blog where she shares recipes and stories from her native Azerbaijan and beyond. Feride holds BA and MA degrees in English and Literature from the University of Languages in Baku and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach.