Alpana Singh

Alpana Singh (born 1976) is a sommelier and local television personality in Chicago, Illinois. She is a first-generation Indian American, born and raised in Monterey, California. Her parents are Fiji Indians who migrated from Fiji to California. [http://www.mastersommeliers.org/member=55 Profile at Master Sommeliers.org] ]

Singh passed the Court of Master Sommeliers' advanced certification test at age 21.White, Sara D. [http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?page_id=1090 "40 Under 40" profile] , "Chicago Business", 2001] In 2003, she passed the final exam to become the youngest person ever to achieve the rank of Master Sommelier. [http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/tastemakers-sommelier-prodigy-alpana-singh "Sommelier Prodigy - Alpana Singh"] , Tastemakers profile at "Food & Wine", September 2003] (The master sommelier exam has an approximate 3% pass rate.)

Beginning at age 23, she served as sommelier at Chicago's Everest. She is currently Director of Wine and Spirits for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, a large Chicago-based chain of restaurants.

Singh has become especially well-known for hosting the local PBS television station WTTW's restaurant review show, "Check, Please!" and her regular appearances on "Chicago Tonight" for the "Ask Alpana" segment on Thursday evenings. She replaced the original host of "Check, Please!", Amanda Puck, in October 2003. Singh is also the author of the 2006 book "Alpana Pours: About Being a Woman, Loving Wine, and Having Great Relationships" (ISBN 0-89733-546-5).

In 2006, Singh married fiction writer Charles Blackstone.

Notes

* [http://www.alpanasingh.com Alpana's homepage]
* [http://www.feastoffools.net/gay-fun-show/2007/06/01/fof-544-the-joy-of-wine-060107/ Podcast interview with Alpana Singh]
* [http://www.sree.net/quotes/newsweekdesichic.html See list of 20 Desi Influencers] - MSNBC