"[1] The daughter of a Syrian father from Mashta al-Helu[2] and a Lebanese mother,[3] Helou left her home in Beirut, Lebanon at the age of 21 to study interior design in London.

[4] Then, between 1978 and 1986, Helou lived in Kuwait acting as an advisor to members of the ruling family, before returning to London in 1986.

[3] Helou was inspired by the Lebanese Civil War and a friend in the publishing industry to write a cookbook.

Robert Irwin described it as "No mere utilitarian manual, but a wistful evocation of feasts and picnics held in an easy-going, Levantine environment which all but came to an end ... in 1975".

[3] She also sold her Victorian house and bought a two-story warehouse loft in Shoreditch, which she then converted into a modern minimalist living and working space.