Todd Lipman

Todd Lipman, CS is an award-winning Sommelier and Beverage Director with a quarter century of hospitality industry experience in the fine-dining and event production landscapes. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Civilizations with a concentration in Thematic Occurrences in Global Mythologies (BU CAS ’04), he has worked with three James Beard Award-winning Chefs in the Boston area including managing service and spear-heading beverage programs and/or education at the likes of Bin 26 Enoteca, Bistro du Midi, The Boston Harbor Hotel, Craigie on Main, and Puritan & Co. where he was the corporate Wine Director. Most prominently, he served as Wine & Beverage Director for both the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival and the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival (Newport, RI) for a number of years. He has participated in numerous regionally-specific beverage boards, as well been published as a contributing writer in various industry publications over the years. He began the beverage focus of his career after attending BU’s Elizabeth Bishop Wine Studies Program under the tutelage of Bill Nesto, MW and the late, great Sandy Block, MW who developed into a close friend and mentor. With the opportunity to teach at BU’s School of Hospitality Administration, he hopes to continue to inspire today’s students the way he was inspired and guided by the best in the industry. Honored to help the next generation of ‘hospitalitarians’, he dedicates his tenure to Sandy Block, who served as an industry pioneer and inspiration to countless rising professionals in the region over many years.

Today, he is focused on his own hospitality company, Blade & Bottles, providing a “full-stop” hospitality initiative which includes private chef-work, beverage service and education, private cellar management, restaurant advising, event planning and production and brand ambassadorship. As a seasoned leader in the Boston hospitality scene, he regularly serves as a mentor to the up-and-coming and provides council to various businesses looking to improve upon themselves and their staffs. He is also a great lover of animals, especially dogs, including but not limited to his loving, energetic and fluffy mini golden doodle, Penny Jane, that he shares with his partner and her two amazing children.