As the story goes, a paperboy loudly sold copies outside a Detroit storefront and drew the ire of the candy shop owner inside. Yet, Victor Callewaert’s persistence also made Harry Ryba admire – and hire! – the ambitious youngster.
Several years later Harry welcomed Victor into his family, too, as the husband of his daughter, Rena. And a few years after that they opened the first Ryba’s Fudge Shop together on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, where they coined the affectionate term “fudgies” as a nickname for visitors.
Now, several decades later, the Ryba-Callewaert family continues to play a key role in the visitor experience for Mackinac Island travelers – not just by serving up world-famous fudge but also renting bikes, making delicious meals and operating historic places to spend the night. From breakfast to bedtime, the family’s collection of businesses has a far-reaching impact on Mackinac Island hospitality.
When you visit Mackinac Island, there’s a good chance you’ll come across a product or service provided by the family. Even if you don’t patronize one of their businesses, the modern-day visitor experience on Mackinac Island has been shaped by their legacy.
In fact, the Ryba-Callewaert clan is one of a few longtime Mackinac Island families that have been involved for generations in the preservation and promotion of the tourism hotspot voted both the USA’s Best Summer Travel Destination and the USA’s No. 1 Best Place To Visit For Fall.
Here’s a closer look at these leading Mackinac Island families:
The Ryba-Callewaert Family on Mackinac Island
It was 1960 when Harry Ryba and Victor Callewaert opened Ryba’s Fudge Shop on Mackinac Island, enhancing the destination’s reputation as the fudge capital of the world. Since then, the family has grown and fostered Mackinac Island’s tourism development by adding a variety of visitor-focused businesses including Island House Bikes, The Pancake House, Starbucks, Seabiscuit Café, Ice House, Mary’s Bistro Draught House, 1852 Grill Room and Pine Cottage B&B.
Perhaps the biggest reminder of the family’s impact on Mackinac Island is the existence of Island House Hotel, a lovely resort across the street from the marina. Island House was set for demolition when the Ryba-Callewaert family bought the property in 1969 and restored it. Now a striking centerpiece on Mackinac Island, Island House in 2027 will celebrate its 175th anniversary.
Although Harry Ryba passed away in 1996 (with a New York Times obituary hailing him as the “fudge king of Mackinac Island”) and Victor Callewaert died in 2022, their family legacy continues through the businesses they built and the ongoing Mackinac Island culture they helped mold. Victor’s oldest son, Todd Callewaert, recently received the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to Michigan hospitality. (He’s also a former Mackinac Island Stoneskipping Contest champion, by the way!)
The Chambers Family on Mackinac Island
If fudge isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Mackinac Island, then it’s probably the car-free, horse-drawn culture. The Chambers family has had a lot to do with that.
It was in the 1890s when prominent carriage operator Thomas Chambers led efforts to ban motor vehicles because they disrupted and frightened the horses. More than 125 years later, authentic horsepower and a clip-clop pace of life remain defining characteristics of Mackinac Island. And the Chambers family is still holding the reins as owners of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, the world’s oldest continuously-operating horse-and-buggy service.
Mackinac Island Carriage Tours provides public sightseeing tours that are the most popular visitor attraction, and the operation is instrumental to the community’s transportation infrastructure, too. The business with about 100 carriages and more than 400 horses operates a taxi service, hauls freight, transports wedding parties and, in general, keeps Mackinac Island moving a horse hoof at a time.
See the Chambers farm where Mackinac Island horses spend the winter
The Doud Family on Mackinac Island
No doubt you’ve heard of Margaret Doud, America’s longest-serving mayor. She has been the head of Mackinac Island’s city government since 1975! And before that her father, Robert Doud, and her grandfather, James Doud, also served as mayor.
In addition to civic leadership and a long track record of engagement in day-to-day, year-round life on the island, the Doud family has played a pivotal role in Mackinac Island’s business community. For example, James Doud in 1884 founded Doud’s Market, America’s oldest family-owned grocery store. Patrick Doud (who also served a stint as mayor) built many Mackinac Island cottages and buildings including the Michigan Governor’s Summer Residence, Wawashkamo Golf Course clubhouse and the Inn at Stonecliffe. He also started Windermere Hotel (still operated by Mayor Margaret Doud).
Members of the Doud family also own and operate retail shops including Little Luxuries of Mackinac Island, lodging places including Mackinac House and restaurants including Patrick Doud’s Irish Pub.
More Prominent Mackinac Island Families, Then and Now
While the Doud, Chambers and Ryba-Callewaert families each have loomed large in Mackinac Island history, they are by no means the only families who have made significant contributions to the island’s culture and legacy of visitor hospitality:
- It was way back in 1887 that the Murdick family started selling fudge out of its Mackinac Island candy shop. The Original Murdick’s Fudge remains in operation on Main Street still today. Over the years, the family legacy was passed to Bob Benser, Sr. who, in partnership with high school buddy Frank Nephew, branched into Mackinac Island’s retail, dining and lodging sectors and also helped restore the picturesque Round Island Lighthouse. Businesses jointly or independently owned by the families include the Pink Pony, Chippewa Hotel, Lilac Tree Suites, Island Slice Pizzeria, Good Day Café, Cottage Inn, Mackinac House (with Andrew Doud), Joann’s Fudge, Mighty Mac Hamburgers and Nephews of Mackinac.
- Grand Hotel, long a staple of the Mackinac Island travel experience, was owned and operated by the Musser family for more than 85 years. R.D. Musser II began working there as a college student in 1951 and before that his uncle, W. Stewart Woodfill, who got hired as a desk clerk in 1919, bought the hotel in 1933 and helped the stately resort endure the Great Depression. Among the 388 uniquely decorated guest rooms are the Musser Suite and the Woodfill Suite.
- One of Mackinac Island’s most celebrated places to stay, Mission Point Resort, has been under the ownership of the Ware family since 2014. Siblings Mark, Liz and DJ Ware have been active in island-wide tourism promotion and the Mackinac Arts Council as well.
- Two of Mackinac Island’s most historic places to stay, Harbour View Inn and Hotel Iroquois, are now owned by Jon and Lauren Cotton, who have acquired a significant lodging footprint across northern Michigan. Both Harbour View and the Iroquois have undergone gorgeous renovations or additions in recent years.
- Countless other families operate small, independently-owned businesses around Mackinac Island, contributing to the unique fabric of one of America’s most-cherished travel destinations.
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