Fireside Village in Hat Creek is a quaint little business at the corner of highway 89 and Doty Road. Our first stop there was to pop into the store/ bait shop for a roll of film for our visit to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory, just 4 miles down Doty Road. Once inside the store, I just knew I had to come back.
The store inside was like something you would see in the old west and leather works covered the walls and shelves. After our tour down the road, we returned to have lunch at the restaurant which is the other half of this family run business. The owners, Jack and Donna Garner pulled into the driveway 30 years ago and Jack told Donna “this is Fireside Village.”
They have been there ever since. 
Walking into the restaurant is just like going to grandma house. The tables are covered in the old red bandana print, vinyl cloths with soft backing and Donnas’ apron even matched. The menu was basic American food, serving all 3 meals but closes early at 6:00. Ben had a bacon burger and I had fish and chips. Both were delicious, cooked and served by Donna herself. Our neighbors at next table told us they stop in for the irresistible home made pie every time they pass this way. As we learned through our lunchtime chat with this extremely down home couple, these amazing works of arts in leather were all hand crafted by Jack and are all for sale. Well, all but one. There is a portrait in leather of this lovely couple and the price tag reads “priceless.” I can’t think of a more fitting word to describe these people and their place. Mr. Garner tells me he can copy any picture and even showed us a work in progress of a personal friend that was an amazing likeness. The portraits of Ronald Reagan and John Wayne are also amazing . Ole’ Jack Garner is quite a character. I enjoyed the conversation every bit as much as the food and the art. He takes custom orders with a deposit and his prices I thought to be more than modest. If you get up Hat Creek way, stop in, chat with Jack, try that pie and enjoy a meal I promise you will not soon forget. I will stop in like the other couple, every time I pass that way. Not only did we have a great meal and see a form of art that I never even knew existed, I think we made some friends!
