Meet Amanda Conger. Our Valley Event’s foodie and author of the popular blog, The Dining Dragon, about local eats in Huntsville. But we want you to get to know Amanda beyond her good taste in food, so read on and discover the lady behind the food!

Background

Amanda Conger at Panoply — Amanda at her favorite local event, Panoply

Where were you born?

Northridge, California (The site of the infamous ’94 earthquake)

How long have you lived in Huntsville?

It will be 6 years this April.

What local organizations are you involved with?

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Two giant boxes of pears, courtesy of my grandmother in law. We are planning on making pear jelly with them.

Favorites

Favorite local event?

Panoply! My husband and I make it a point to go every year. I love the art, he loves the music, and we both appreciate the lemonade and funnel cake.

Favorite event you’ve written about for OVE?

Taste of Huntsville. It’s like a foodie dream come true–tons of local restuarants in one place!

Chocolate cake by Amanda Conger — No contest for Amanda: Chocolate all the way!

Favorite local attraction?

The Huntsville Botanical Garden. They do an amazing job making the garden accessible to everyone, not just gardening enthusiasts. I especially appreciate all of their kid friendly exhibits as I was dragged to quite a few gardens as a kid and giant dinosaurs would have made those trips much more enjoyable.

Favorite local restaurant?

Do I have to pick just one? My current favorites are D&L Bistro, 3 Skillets, and Betty Mae’s.

Favorite food?

French fries! They’re a favorite, in part, because I’ve never mastered making them at home.

Either Or

Cats or dogs?

Cats! Self sufficient, cuddly, and content to spend the day curled up on the couch with me, my cats have my heart.

Crunchy or creamy?

Creamy. Especially it involves cheese.

Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate. (Is there really a question?)

Dressing up or sweatpants?

Most of the time? Dressing up. But in the winter? All I want to do is pull on a pair of fleece pants and burrow down under a pile of blankets and cats with a good book.

Imagine….

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Anne Hathaway. Other than being a brunette, there isn’t much of a resemblance, but I like the shy/bumbling/sweet characters she plays.

If you could be any famous person (dead or alive) for a week, who would it be?

taste of huntsville — Amanda’s favorite OVE event: Taste of Huntsville

I don’t know that I would want to be her, but I would love to spend a week with Madeleine Albright She strikes me as an smart and thoughtful woman and I’d love to pick her brain.

What would the title of your autobiography be?

All the Dragon’s Days. It has a nice ring to it.

If you had a million dollars to spend on anything, what would you do?

Right after I paid off my student loans? ; ) Boring things mostly, pay off the house, make long awaited home repairs…On a more exciting note, I would love to commission art work and furniture from local craftspeople and give back to organizations like the Girl Scouts, which are close to my heart.