In all three down-Island towns, Murdick’s Fudge has been beckoning Vineyarders and tourists alike with its sweet smells and windows of decadent confections for 45 years.
On Monday, the Edgartown shop welcomed not only customers eager to try its newest espresso-flavored fudge, but a Boston television crew hoping to catch the sugary magic behind the Vineyard staple.
Murdick’s Fudge is a Michigan-born business, but the fudge shop’s long Island history attracted the attention of WCVB-TV’s Made in New England segment, and general manager Mike McCourt made his television debut exuding Murdick’s spirit.
“[The fudge is] just really great,” said Mr. McCourt in his interview with WCVB news anchor and reporter Doug Meehan. “It’s stood the test of time… and the unique thing about our fudge is that you can ship it anywhere in the world and have no problems.”
Mr. McCourt moved to the Island in 1993 when his friend and golf mate Bob Benser, the owner of Murdick’s, offered him a job running the confectionaries in Vineyard Haven, Oak Bluffs and Edgartown. At the time, he was working in the oil and gas industry and looking for a change of pace.
“I knew nothing about the Island,” said Mr. McCourt in an interview with the Gazette. “In fact, when I got off the boat it was cloudy and kind of dark. I looked around and I’m thinking ‘what am I doing here?’ Now I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Mr. McCourt has been managing the Vineyard’s three locations for 30 years, though he has yet to pick a favorite fudge flavor in all that time.
“Our peanut butter is really awesome,” he said. “But then there’s the chocolate and peanut butter. Oh, and cranberry.”
With over 14 varieties of fudge and a plethora of loyal summer customers, all three Murdick’s shops collectively go through about 50,000 pounds of sugar per year. Each batch of fudge requires an average of 30 pounds of sugar, and on the shop’s busiest days, fudge makers will produce more than 40 batches, explained Mr. McCourt.
Once the fudge is made, it needs to be sliced and boxed. Greg Marshall, a former Chilmark Chocolates employee, prides himself in being one of Murdick’s official fudge boxers. He is drawn most to working in kitchens with good company and sweet treats.
“I really like working here because [Mr. McCourt] is a really nice guy and treats everyone with respect,” Mr. Marshall said. “Sometimes I’ll do, like, 100 boxes, but other times I’ll do 200 or 500.”
Along with Mr. Marshall, Mr. McCourt has 25 employees who help make, package and sell Murdick’s fudge, popcorn and nut brittle. He credits his staff for keeping the shops afloat during the pandemic and working with his unique managerial style.
“I’m not a schedule person — I hate schedules,” said Mr. McCourt. “But we manage to figure it all out.”
Comments
Comment policy »