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Ever since I was young, people have commented on how stubborn I am. I don’t quite agree with them since I’m not stubborn. Really! I’m just very determined.

Once I get my mind set on something, it’s very hard to get me to change it, regardless of what arguments you present. That determination came through recently when I was coming home from the mountains after visiting my grandchildren.

During the summer, my son, Steve, my daughter’s son, Austin, and I drove from Sylva to Banner Elk for the weekend to join Steve’s wife and children, who were vacationing with her parents.

En route back to Sylva on Sunday afternoon, we stopped at Linville Falls (and, yes, I hiked part way up). We were hungry after all that exercise and stopped at a restaurant by the name of Fatz Cafe in Marion. The menu cover highlighted Cajun Firecracker Sticks, which Austin and I ordered.

We thought they were great. After I read the ingredients (spicy Gulf shrimp, andouille sausages, onions, peppers, spinach and jalapeno Jack cheese wrapped in a tomato-basil tortilla and crisp-fried) to Austin, he refused to eat any more. The spinach did it. So I got to eat the rest of his.

I had never heard of Fatz but through conversations with our server and the manager, we learned it is a fairly new chain.

I had heard that a Fatz Cafe opened recently in Greensboro and en route home to Eden later that week, I saw a sign for the restaurant that indicated it’s on Market Street near the airport. So I decided to stop.

I got on Market Street and drove all the way up it but didn’t see a Fatz. I turned around and went back down to the other end; still no Fatz Cafe.

I stopped at several stores along Market and was told by one clerk it was further down the street. I drove to where she indicated but saw nothing resembling the restaurant. I stopped again and a customer said he had heard of it, and he and the salesperson assured me it wasn’t on Market. It wasn’t in the telephone book, either.

I stopped at an auto supply store with the same results. Then I asked to use their phone to call the fire department, and I struck gold.

Yes, Greensboro has a Fatz, and the dispatcher gave me the phone number. When I called, someone named Tammy answered the phone and gave me directions. The restaurant is on South Regional Road. Jokingly, I told Tammy she should give me my meal free for my  two-hour effort to find them.

After arriving, Tammy escorted me to my seat and handed me a menu. I knew just what I wanted: Cajun Firecracker Sticks.

Tammy said she was going to treat me to a dessert for all my effort, so I got Mango Mousse Cheesecake to go.

Since it was mid-afternoon, traffic at the restaurant was light and my server, Angela, and Tammy and I talked several times. Both said they have ties to Eden and Reidsville.

Small world, isn’t it — except when it comes to finding Fatz Cafe.

Ann Fish is a Reidsville native who has lived in Eden since 1979. She is a retired newspaper editor and reporter. Contact her at annsomersfish@yahoo.com