Marshall’s Fudge is celebrating 100 years. They were the first Mackinac Island fudge shop to move from the island to the city.
“It started with my husband’s father on Mackinac Island. He made fudge there as a young man,” said Jeannie Marshall, the second generation of Marshall’s Fudge.
“Jim was a character, kind of like my dad. People didn’t forget him, for sure. He liked to tell jokes and like to have a good time and had a great little smile and a twinkle in his eyes,” added Lori Frohoff, the third generation of Marshall’s Fudge.
The story of Marshall’s Fudge began in 1923 When Mackinac Island native Jim Marshall took a job in the island’s first candy store.
Eventually, Jim Marshall opened his own store Marshall’s Driftwood Fudge, right on the main street.
It was one of the industries on Mackinac Island years ago when the boats came, and these were not the ferry boats you see today. These were the big ocean-going liners,” explained Marshall. “The passengers got off, and it was a way for the locals to make money in the summer.”
Jim, his wife Oradelle and son Dean Marshall took the business to the mainland, opening a shop in St. Ignance.
“I married into the family. Dean was in the service, and I met him in Nebraska, where he was stationed. We did this as a summer occupation while he went to graduate school,” said Marshall.
Dean and Jeannie Marshall took over the family business, establishing Marshall’s Fudge in Mackinaw City.
“We lived behind the store for ten years before we had our home,” said Marshall.
“We had the whole run of the town, and we could go wherever we wanted on our bicycles. We’d go to our friend’s pools. Their parents owned the hotels, so we would go swim all day and then come back, and my mom would give us something to eat, and out the door, we’d go again,” explained Frohoff.
Running the fudge shop wasn’t Dean’s only job. He was also an accounting professor at Ferris State University. He recruited one of his students, Bud Herholz, to spend a summer making candy.
“Bud was the head of Phi Sigs, the fraternity. He helped set up a swing set in our backyard. I just remember Bud being so tall and big that I couldn’t wait for him to hurry up and get that swing set down so I could go down the slide,” said Frohoff.
All these years later, Herholz is still making fudge.
“I like what I’m doing,” said Bud Herholz, a candy maker at Marshall’s Fudge.
“It’s sort of awesome that he’s still stuck around, but it’s a fun place to be. Even though it’s work and a lot of hard hours, we have a lot of fun,” added Frohoff. “We’ve got a lot of family and friends helping. So maybe that’s the secret.”
I think our fudge is the key, our fudge consistency. We have candy makers that have been here for a long time. They know what they’re doing. Bud’s been here for close to 50 years. My father-in-law made candy for 50 years. His father made candy for 50 years,” said Patrick Frohoff, the third generation of Marshall’s Fudge.
Marshall’s Fudge also has a chocolatier who has been part of the team for the last 12 years.
“She’s learned from her grandparents. So we take pride in our little product here, which we’ve expanded the types of candies we make,” said Frohoff.
“I like to show people what I do because people often don’t get to see chocolate being made. It’s typically made in a factory, not by hand as I make it,” explained Stacy Santer, Chocolatier at Marshall’s Fudge.
One hundred years later, the third generation running Marshall’s Fudge is Dean, Jeannie’s daughter Lori and her husband Patrick Frohoff.
“I think the most important thing I learned is how to treat people,” said Frohoff.
“They brought me right in and showed me how to make it. My father-in-law was very tough. He would tell stories of how he learned and about his father,” explained Patrick Frohoff. “He pretty much did the same thing to me and just made sure I did it the right way. There are no shortcuts, and it’s all about the product.
“I can’t imagine there not being Marshall’s Fudge in Mackinaw,” added Frohoff.
