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Photo 1: Fudge I bought from Yate’s Cider Mill directly imported from the Fort Fudge Shop in Mackinaw City (November 2nd, 2025). Photo by AJ Brar.
Fudge Melting into Memories
Fudge Melting into Memories
by AJ Brar
The sun was burning brightly today, sweat pouring down my back as my brother and I biked around Mackinac Island. As exhaustion slowly crept in, we spotted a candy store, an oasis to quench our thirst and our sweet tooths. That adventure led to our very first bite of Mackinac Island fudge. I felt the cold, refreshing, chocolatey, and chewy flavors of the treat melt on my tongue, bringing me relief from the sun. This moment has stayed with me as one of my most memorable childhood food experiences. I didn't know it then, but that fudge carried many years of history behind it.
According to the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, the official government bureau of the island, Mackinac gained its title as “the fudge capital of the world” through the rise of tourism post-World War II. However, the concept emerged in the 1880s with the Murdick family who opened the island’s first candy store (“Mackinac Island became fudge capital.”). “Rome Murdick was the first person on Mackinac Island to make fudge on marble slabs, which gave the product a unique flavor and created a show for customers”(“Mackinac Island became fudge capital.”). The Murdicks also used cooling-fans to spread the fudge scent across town, attracting their customer base (“Mackinac Island became fudge capital.”). Through this performance and signature taste, fudge evolved to become a unique Midwestern tradition. My earliest memories of visiting the island growing up come from walking those same streets, following that caramel breeze as it twisted and turned around every street corner, pulling me and my brother towards the closest shop. I remember standing with my family at shop windows, intensely watching the fudge-makers stretch and fold the hardening melted chocolate slabs, completely in awe how effortlessly they made fudge.
Photo 2: My older brother and I on a dock in Mackinac Island. (May 26th, 2014). Photo by AJ Brar.
Photo 3: A picture I took of Yate’s cider mill recently where I bought the Mackinac fudge from (November 2nd, 2025). Photo by AJ Brar.
Even though Mackinac Island is famous for it today, fudge itself didn’t originate here, or even in the United States as many assume, but may trace back to colonial-era Mexico. Food historian Jeffrey Pilcher and physics professor Patrick Charbonneau note that a similar confection, panochita de leche, was already being made in eighteenth-century Mexico (Charbonneau & Pilcher). Made from milk and unrefined sugar cooked down into soft, caramel-like blocks, panochita resembles an early form of fudge and was sold in markets long before the word “fudge” appeared in the United States. Mackinac is known for its unique culture and history around fudge itself, but it can't be acredited as the actual origin of “fudge,” whose roots stretch far beyond the island on a wider global lense.
This tradition is thriving today. Visitors travel for events like the annual Fudge Festival each October where anyone can enjoy walking tours, bike rides, live music, canon firing, cider mills, contests, and most importantly, fudge (Prestininzi). I’ve never attended this event as I only traveled during the spring/summer (Photo 2), but this is the perfect place to spend time with friends and family while also enjoying fudge. This connection to fudge exists beyond just the island. In Metro-Detriot, where I grew up, anyone can experience a touch of Mackinac through fudge at cider mills, specifically Yate’s Cider Mill for me and my family (Photo 3). Here, the fudge is the exact same type from the island (Photo 1). When I bought it again recently and took a bite, the fudge melted across my tongue - cool at first, then creamy, and finally a little grainy as it faded away. I was immediately brought back to that day with my brother. Mackinac fudge is more than just a dessert, it’s a tradition woven into Michigan culture, carrying childhood and family memories for me and other Midwesterners alike. Each piece of history tells the story of this delicacy, from panochita de leche in Mexican markets, to the early marble-slab displays on Mackinac, and now to the long-standing traditions treasured by generations of Midwestern families.
Works Cited
Brar, AJ. Photo of Mackinac Island Fudge. 2 Nov. 2025. Author’s personal collection.
Brar, AJ. Photo of Author with Sibling at Mackinac. 26 May 2014. Author’s personal collection.
Brar, AJ. Photo of Yate’s Cider Mill. 2 Nov. 2025. Author’s personal collection.
Charbonneau, Patrick, and Jeffrey M. Pilcher. “From Panocha to Fudge: Mexican Roots of an
American Candy.” Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies, vol. 23, no. 1, 2023, pp. 100-111. University of California Press, https://doi.org/10.1525/gfc.2023.23.1.100. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
“How Mackinac Island became fudge capital of the world.” Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau
Blog, 19 Apr. 2023, https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/post/how-mackinac-island-became-fudge-capital-of-the-world/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Prestininzi, Jenna. “Ready to get your ‘fudgie’ on? Mackinac Island Fudge Festival is ahead.”
Detroit Free Press, 1 Oct. 2025,
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/10/01/mackinac-island-fall-fudge-festival/86416253007/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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