Marilyn Crystal-Uzan was born in Tunisia where her family had lived for generations and she grew up in the capital, Tunis. Marilyn and her family lived in Tunis very happily and in peace until she was 17 years old. Her favorite memories of her childhood in Tunis involved playing on the clear Mediterranean beaches in the Northern suburbs of Tunis. However, in 1985 before graduating from high school Marilyn left Tunisia for France due to the Israeli attack on PLO headquarters in Tunis, which led to a time of great uncertainty for Tunisian Jews.

Luckily Marilyn already knew French fluently which allowed her to settle into French society a little easier. Uzan lived in France and briefly in England for the next 15 years until she moved to California with her American husband. Marilyn now lives in Palo Alto with her three children. Marilyn is passionate about preserving the culinary traditions of Tunisian Jews and has led Tunisian cooking classes in her community.