Photos and story by BJ Cothran

Topsail Island, NC - What’s a vacation without fudge—one piece, two, a pound or more?  For many families, fudge is a tradition.  Some stock up and eat it during their time here, savoring every morsel while dipping their toes in the ocean, while others take home plenty for family and friends, and still others eat all they can while they’re here and stockpile plenty to get them through the drive home!

And if fudge is your weakness, you’re not alone.  Our very own Topsail Island Trading Company has been making fudge-lovers happy since Jean and Don Luther opened up their retail store in Surf City.

“Since 1987, we have made and sold 378,380 pounds—189 tons of fudge,” says Don Luther. 

And to think that it all started when the Luthers decided to move from Buffalo to Surf City to operate a retail store and a friend from Maryland, who was in the candy business, insisted that they had to sell fudge if they were going to be at the seashore.

“He was very convincing,” says Don.  “We followed his advice, contacted Calico Cottage Candies in Long Island, New York, and that began a long wonderful relationship with Calico that continues today.”  Don explained that Calico is the premier supplier of fudge-making equipment and ingredients for retailers in the country.

But Don’s relationship with fudge started when he was young.  “My mother made delicious chocolate fudge in the winter time to brighten the cold, gloomy days in Tonawanda, New York (near Buffalo).”

The Luthers are originally from the Buffalo area, but after they married in 1959, they left in 1961 and moved near Annapolis where they lived and raised their five children for the next twenty years. 

“Each is married and they have thirteen children between them,” says Jean Luther.  “Our oldest son John is an Associate Pastor in Raleigh;  Jim is with Duke University in Durham;  Donald is with a bank in Dublin, Ireland;  Linda is a stay-at-home mom in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina;  and daughter Colleen will have her third child in November and we’re very happy about that.

(Left) New owner Grier

“Colleen was our General Manager from 1996 to 2001,” adds Jean.  Now Colleen is also a stay-at-home mom and “first mate to husband Jamie Hobbs who has a boat rental and charter business in Carolina Beach, along with being a writer and photographer for NC Boating magazine.”

With those skills, Jamie also contributed his part to the family’s business.  “Jamie has helped us with many of our ads and did all of the photography for our website,” says Don.  And this includes the popular billboard with the darling little girl and those now-famous words, “What beach?  I’m here for the fudge!”

“All credit for this goes to Colleen and Jamie,” says Don.  “The little girl is their daughter Camryn (our granddaughter), the idea .  .  . and the photography are Jamie’s.  It has been our most talked about ad.”

(Right) Original owners, Jean and Don

And it must have worked because the fudge business has boomed with a loyal following.  “On Friday, July 20 of this year we sold 377 ½ pounds .  .  . our largest single day,” says Don.  “Last year—our greatest to date—we sold 19,035 pounds.”

And with all that fudge making, it stands to reason that Don became the Fudgemeister.  “After I had been making fudge for about six or seven years, Peter, a long-time friend, had observed an obvious change in my body shape.  One day he said to me, ‘yes, you really are a Fudgemeister.’  Happily, or unhappily, the title stuck ever since.”

Although in recent years, Don has become a retired Fudgemeister.  Heidi Hilmerson now makes the fudge.  In the busy summer season and at Christmas, it’s a daily event.

“Heidi is very dedicated and enthusiastic,” says Don.  “When she and her husband went on vacation for a week in August, Heidi left us with an inventory of 295 trays which, at eight pounds a tray, that’s 2360 pounds.  Our General Manager, Jody McNally, has a motto:  We must never run out of a popular fudge flavor.  Heidi makes sure this (rule) is followed.”

 

 

So for twenty years, the Luthers and Topsail Island Trading Company have served up the fudge to happy fudge-lovers everywhere.  But, this era has now come to an end and the reins of the Trading Company will be turned over to new leaders.  The Fleischhauers of Topsail Beach—owners of long-time island icon the Gift Basket—are now the new owners of the Topsail Island Trading Company.

 

 

 

(Right) New owners, Kristin (left), daughter Claire and Grier

“Jean and I are so happy that Grier and Kristin and daughter Claire bought the business,” says Don.  “We will miss our employees.  They continually strived to serve our customers well and often went beyond the call of duty.  We congratulate the Fleischhauers and we believe that their ownership will assure the Topsail Island Trading Company and the Gift Basket will continue to be important assets on Topsail Island.”

And fudge-lovers everywhere can relax because fudge making will continue to be an integral part of the business.  “We wouldn’t think about discontinuing the fudge!” says Grier Fleischhauer.  “When vacationing on our island we understand that there are certain traditions that our visitors expect to enjoy.  The Luthers have created a great one through their excellent fudge.  We don’t quite know all of the flavors yet, but there are about a hundred that we have been told are in the recipe book.”

The Fleischhauers are looking forward to going to Fudge School (yes, there really is such a thing!).  “The great Fudgemeister Don Luther will be teaching us,” says Grier, “however, I believe that we will never be able to replace Don.”

Interesting fact though, Don’s wife Jean made the fudge for the first four months they were in business while Don stayed in Maryland until youngest daughter Colleen graduated from high school.  “Jean’s happy to point out that although she never became a Fudgemeister, she did train me,” says Don with a smile.

The Fleischhauer family discovered Topsail through high school buddies.  “They looked at a map to find a location where they could go to the ocean and water ski,” explains Grier.  “It was a pretty random decision, but after our first visit, we decided that there was no other place for us.” 

The next spring, they purchased a beach house in 1988 and have visited with their two children since they were in kindergarten.  In 2002, they purchased the Gift Basket.  Kristin moved here permanently and two years later, after transitioning from his career in Virginia, Grier joined her.

Their daughter Claire was in college working on her BS degree in Communications when she decided she’d like to join the family business, but Dad had other ideas.  He wanted her to work “out in the real world to gain the proper perspective of being on your own,” he said.  “She did a wonderful job,” he added, so in 2005-2006 when they expanded to a second location in Surf City, Claire moved here and joined the family retail world and will now “take responsibility for the operation of Topsail Trading Company.”

Their son Brian recently graduated in 2006 from WVU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and now works in Maryland at Seimens.  “He visits us frequently and some day would like to move closer to Topsail Island.  Once Topsail is in your blood, it is hard to stay away,” says Grier.

And it’s hard to stay away from all that fudge.

“We started buying fudge when we fist vacationed here in 1985,” says Kristin Fleischhauer.  “Picking out our favorite fudge flavors was always a family event.  We loved the free samples.”

“When you approach the fudge counter, see a smiling face, and hear:  ‘Would you like a taste?’ all your worries disappear,” says Don.  “We make it clear that you may have as many free tastes as you want.”  Since over forty flavors are displayed at all times, “tasting can be a real challenge.”

And tasting leads to debate about which is the best, which is most decadent, and which is by far someone’s favorite.

“When they found out we bought the business, I’ve been advised by almost everyone I know what their favorite flavor is,” says Kristin, who is fond of “anything with chocolate and caramel.”

Right now Claire Fleischhauer says she’s “trying to be good and not sample the fudge too much.”  She hopes to experiment to see if she can come up with her own creation, “but it will be tricky because there are so many flavors already!”

Over a hundred as a matter of fact, which makes committing to a favorite terribly hard.

“Mine is Key Lime which is sweet and tart at the same time and it melts in your mouth,” says Jean Luther.  “I have a second one which is Maple.”

Don prefers Tiger Butter, which is Jif Peanut Butter pushed down into vanilla fudge with chocolate fudge drizzled on top.

According to Jean, Tiger Butter was given to them in their first or second year of business by a customer who described a candy her mother made every Christmas and they tried to duplicate it.  It must have worked because the flavor is hugely popular.

“Turtle fudge is our best-seller” says Don.  “The combination of roasted and salted pecans and Merckens caramel in chocolate fudge is so mouth-watering that you just have to keep coming back for more.  A specialty fudge like White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cheesecake (WCCMNCC pronounced WikMnik) is very popular because you don’t often find fudge loaded with roasted and salted macadamia nuts blended into cheesecake fudge.  But good old chocolate fudge is a front row flavor that’s in the top three year in and year out.”

Chocolate with walnuts is one of Grier’s favorites because it’s tied to a warm memory.  “My mother used to make fudge every Christmas for giving a small gift of appreciation to our grade school teachers.  But I’ve discovered that I really like the Bailey’s Irish Cream fudge.  Can you imagine Bailey’s Irish Cream fudge with a nice cup of coffee in the evening?” he adds with a big “Yummmm!”

Fudge is that feel-good food that conjures up happy memories.  So go make some memories of your own, do your holiday shopping early, and while you’re there, taste a few new flavors.  It’s nice to know that a popular island tradition lives on.

(Right) - Heidi making fudge