Amanda and her husband Paul moved to Traverse City in 2000 with the intention of opening a restaurant. Their dream came true in July 2004 when Trattoria Stella in the Village at Grand Traverse Commons welcomed its first guest. Amanda was raised in restaurants and driven toward hospitality education early in her career. Her passion for training took her around the world to open new restaurants and upon arrival in Northern Michigan, worked for Grand Traverse Resort and Spa first as its training manager and then as fine-dining operations at the Trillium Restaurant and management of the Resort's wine program. Amanda strongly believes in educating the community through a series of wine and service classes. She continues to pursue her own education and more certifications in the vast field of wine. Paul and Amanda recently co-founded the Grand Traverse Convivium of the Slow Food Movement.

“The best thing about wine is that the more you learn, the more you realize that you’re never going to know. It’s always new; it’s always fresh; and you can rest assured that you will never get bored of learning, teaching and drinking wine.” – Amanda Danielson

For more about Stella’s, visit www.stellastc.com