From floor to founder.
Right now, I'm building SOMM DIGI as a solo founder and full-time digital nomad — moving through the world, tools in hand.
15+ years in wine and hospitality got me here — from the wine-store floor and fine-dining rooms to building AI from wherever I land. Here's the road that brought me here.
Certifications
Earned on the floor and in the classroom — the credentials behind every SOMM DIGI tool.
2012
First step abroad
Learning by doing — not just studying.
I moved from Türkiye to Little Rock, Arkansas on a hospitality internship visa. At 23, I started in the city's largest wine store — sleeves rolled up, not just a résumé. No tech, no AI. Just long shifts, real guests, and deep learning through service. That's where wine stopped being theory and became something lived.
2013–2021
The sommelier years
From certification to real connection.
I passed both the Certified and Advanced Sommelier exams with the Court of Master Sommeliers, and worked across multiple countries — on land and sea, from fine dining to cruise ships. Meeting guests, collectors, and professionals from around the world. All hands-on: learning by doing, teaching through service, listening deeply. Those years shaped the structure, tone, and practicality behind every SOMM DIGI tool today.
2021
SOMM DIGI begins
Built from experience. Fueled by vision.
In 2021, SOMM DIGI was officially born in Delaware, USA — bringing together years of sommelier experience, service life, and a new wave of AI-driven tools. It started solo: challenges, trial and error, long nights. But it kept growing, step by step, project by project — always with the same goal: to help the wine and hospitality world adapt, evolve, and stay human in the digital age.
