Master Sommelier sounds like a pretty fierce title to have been bestowed upon at the tender age of twenty six, and for Alpana Singh, what is even more significant is that she also happens to be the youngest woman ever to have achieved this ranking. From her childhood in Monterey, California- where she was a permanent fixture at her parent’s ethnic grocery store- to her early culinary beginnings in Chicago, Singh’s passion for wine has propelled her to light-speed succession within this discerning and highly respected world.
Singh’s first sommelier experience was at the acclaimed Chicago restaurant Everest back in 2000, whereby she would later transition into a larger role as the wine and spirits director for the corporate restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. During this time, she also became a well-known local television personality, hosting for ten seasons the Emmy winning restaurant review show, Check, Please! before opening her own restaurant Boarding House a few months ago, along with her husband…which is now Chicago’s latest wine and dine destination.
The menu was created to reflect wine-inspired global cuisine, and the restaurant offers approximately 500 wine selections- with 2,000 bottles in inventory…which is why Singh installed a sleek glass-enclosed wine elevator to effortlessly shuttle these elixirs up to the other floors, within her strikingly designed space that showcases a chandelier made with 9,000 wine glasses. Although she is partial to wines from the Southern Rhone and Spain regions, Singh will not only procure the most palate-pleasing blends from far reaching vines abroad, but from our beloved Napa Valley as well. Cin-Cin www.boardinghousechicago.com
