901-754-9404
My List0

We've now made it easier for you to research and save your favorite keynotes speakers. Click on the + sign to add a speaker to your Speaker List and email your favorites to colleagues and friends.

using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
Alpana Singh Speaker

Alpana Singh

    • First Indian woman and youngest female to become a Master Sommelier, a title awarded to only 274 people worldwide
    • Host of the three-time Emmy Award-winning restaurant review TV show, Check, Please!
    • Has received several awards, including the “Sommelier of the Year” Wine Star Award from Wine Enthusiast magazine
    • Lively, fun, and informative presentations that gives audiences a taste of life as a sommelier
Full Bio
In Person-Fee 🛈

$5,000 - $10,000

Virtual Fee:

Please Inquire

Travels From

Illinois

Alpana Singh - Life in Chapters

Alpana Singh - Life in Chapters

One Chicago Stories | Alpana Singh

One Chicago Stories | Alpana Singh

Sommelier of the Year - Alpana Singh

Sommelier of the Year - Alpana Singh

Alpana Singh Speaker Biography


One of only 274 Master Sommeliers worldwide, and one of just 24 women to be given the distinction, Alpana Singh became the youngest female to pass the final level of the Master Sommelier exam, at the age of 26.

Born and raised in Monterey, California, Alpana's strong work ethic and ease with people of all ages stemmed from a youth spent working in her family’s ethnic grocery store. Later, while waiting tables in college, she fell in love with wine and discovered that it united her varied interests in traveling, history, and food.

Alpana Singh shares her inspiring story of rising from the daughter of Fijian immigrants to becoming a successful entrepreneur and television personality all while navigating a male-dominated profession. She gives groups a glimpse of the back of the house as she teaches them how to taste wines “blind,” purchase bottles like a professional, and pair with meals for any occasion.

At the age of 19, Alpana pursued a path in the business with a job as a wine sales clerk at Nielsen Bros. Market in Carmel, California. By 23, she had landed the sommelier position at the world-renowned Everest Restaurant in Chicago. Just three years later at the age of 26, she earned the title Master Sommelier.

This distinguished accomplishment, along with her effervescence, experience and energy, was magnetic, and it wasn’t long before Alpana Singh found herself in the local spotlight. For ten seasons, she served as the host of the three-time Emmy Award-winning restaurant review television show, Check, Please!, on Chicago’s PBS station, and returned in 2018 after a five-year absence. In 2014, she also appeared as a featured judge on Food Network's Food Truck Face Off.

In 2006, Alpana released her first book, Alpana Pours, a unique lifestyle book that shares her social observations of wine, contemporary women, and relationships. A humorous and real look at the sometimes absurd interactions between men and women plays out in an entertaining book of tips for hosting and entertaining.

In December 2012, Alpana opened her first restaurant, The Boarding House, a wine-driven concept in the River North neighborhood. In February 2015, she opened her second restaurant, Seven Lions, on Chicago's iconic Michigan Avenue, and then in 2016, she opened her third restaurant venture, Terra & Vine, in Evanston, Illinois.

Alpana has been recognized for her various achievements and contributions to both her industry and community. In 2001, Alpana was included as a Crain’s “40 Under 40” honoree in Chicago at the age of 24, Bon Appetit named her "Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year" in 2006, and she received the “Sommelier of the Year” Wine Star Award from Wine Enthusiast magazine. She has also been featured in numerous publications, including Newsweek, Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times.

A prominent member of the community, Alpana is a member of the Choose Chicago Board of Directors and on the Advisory Council for the Illinois Restaurant Association. She played a significant role in bringing the James Beard Foundation Awards to the city of Chicago in 2015 and is an avid supporter of Deborah's Place, an organization that assists and empowers women facing homelessness.

Secrets of a Master Sommelier

Go behind the scenes and learn how to taste wines “blind” like a Master Sommelier. With this entertaining crash course, you’ll learn quick and easy tips to improve your everyday wine enjoyment by learning how to taste and describe wines like pro, purchase wines for your cellar and learn how to pair wines for any feast or occasion.

Crushing the Glass Ceiling

Alpana shares her motivating and inspiring story of going from the daughter of Fijian immigrants to becoming an successful entrepreneur and the youngest woman to pass the Master Sommelier exam and being just one of 25 women to ever do so. She shares her wit and wisdom of how she overcame adversities and navigated a male dominated profession and also went on to have a successful television career and own three restaurants. She inspires women to show up in the ring and the importance of knowing that we are worthy and that we are enough.

The American Dream

Alpana shares her story of how she overcame her modest and humble beginnings as the daughter of Fijian immigrant parents to becoming a successful restaurateur, Master Sommelier and Television personality. The valuable lessons she learned from the immigrant experience that helped her develop the grit, determination, and tenacity to achieve her high level of success.  She shares stories of her childhood, navigating the expectations of her parents to become a doctor with wanting to pursue her passion for wine and why diversity and her role on television today is so important.

Mentorship and Paying it Forward

Alpana knows the value of mentorship, she wouldn't have achieved what she did without it. She has mentored dozens of wine professionals who have gone on to achieve their own success. She offers her insights on how micro-mentoring can be just as effective as macro-mentoring, how companies can recognize, cultivate and retain talent in today's competitive job market and why a pay-it-forward culture is the key to creating a lasting legacy.

Every Bottle Tells a Story

Wine tells the story of persons, places and things ever so easily. Alpana will take you on a journey to connect whatever message you are looking to convey – whether it’s wines made by women, selections that celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship or bottles that highlight global diversity, Alpana will customize a tasting or dinner to really personalize and bring home the theme of your event.

Interactive Team Building Exercises

Group tastings are a fun and dynamic team building exercise. Alpana will start the group off with a brief tasting lesson then participants will be divided into groups and then they will put their new skills to the test by tasting wines blind. The team who correctly names the grape and provenance of the most number of wines wins.

She conducts classes, provides post-event mixers and instructional wine bars for attendees, and creates exceptional experiences that are the ideal pairing of the informative and the entertaining. And everyone walks away with a greater knowledge about not only wine, but about the surprising depth of their personal taste.

Related Speakers

Shelette Stewart Speaker

Shelette Stewart

Fortune 500 Leader & Entrepreneur 

Leeza Gibbons

Leeza Gibbons

Emmy-Winning Journalist & Host

Adam Cheyer, Technology Speaker

Adam Cheyer

Top Technology and AI Speaker

Annie Duke

Annie Duke

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Bracelet Winner

Lynn Martin, Economics Speaker

Lynn Martin

Secretary of Labor

Betsy Myers, Human Resources Speaker

Betsy Myers

Founding Director

The Little Couple, Celebrity Speaker

The Little Couple

Doctor

Peter Diamandis Speaker

Peter Diamandis

Co-founder and executive chairman of Singularity University

Chet McDoniel, Overcoming Adversity Speaker

Chet McDoniel

Inspirational Speaker Born With No Arms & Shortened Legs

Ashley Rhodes-Courter, Speaker

Ashley Rhodes Courter

The Quintessential American Success Story Child Advocate

Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova

Wimbledon Legend and Gay Rights Activist

Rene Godefroy, Customer Service Speaker

Rene Godefroy

Living the American Dream: From Impoverished Childhood to CEO

Reviews

Testimonials

Everyone on the ESB team has been great to work with for our events. Looking forward to keep working with ESB!

Plexus Worldwide

We had a positive experience with ESB. Matt Meyer is a great communicator and easy to get a hold of. His helped us through the process to mak..

BNSF

ESB was patient, thorough, and responsive during the planning process. Thank you for making this such a great experience for us!

ConnectWise

ESB supported our needs and the needs of our speaker throughout the entire process. I highly recommend working with ESB to find your next spe..

DogWatch

"It's always a pleasure to work with ESB. Very professional and personable staff. Thanks!"

Testimonial | Texas Society of Architects

"Excellent! Thank you for being a true partner to our organization and its development."

HCA Healthcare

"They are the only speakers bureau I will even consider using!"

Testimonial | Youth Villages

A wonderful bureau to work with! Big ups to everyone who helped make our event a success. Fingers crossed we get the chance to collaborate fo..

MDRT | Testimonial

"As always, you are the best most responsive speaker bureau I've ever worked with!"

Image Media

Angela Schelp was a great partner in finding the right kick-off speaker for our conference. This was my first conference identifying the keyn..

CubeSmart
Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Need Suggestions? Have Questions?

Call to discuss how we can you help find the right speaker(s) for your organization.

© 2024 Executive Speakers Bureau. All Rights Reserved.

Design and Developed by eBiz Solutions

Get Ideas in 1 hour or less

Executive Speakers Bureau consistently receives praises about our speed and efficiency. From the beginning of your event planning, our extensive online speaker database and resourceful staff allow us to quickly equip you with the best speaker for your event.

Need a last minute speaker? No worries. Our speed and efficiency help us give you ideas for speakers in one hour or less.

Please fill in information below