New owners set to take over Fisherman's Daughter in Grand Marais

There will be a new ownership team at Fisherman’s Daughter in Grand Marais next month.

Local residents Katie Mumm and Parker Slanga will be the new owners of the iconic fish market and restaurant near the shoreline of Lake Superior.

Mumm is a local photographer and currently works as a manager at The Fisherman’s Daughter. Her fiancé, Slanga, is a local electrician.

Mumm confirmed with WTIP Monday night (Jan. 24) that the couple are taking the reins Feb. 1 as the new owners of The Fisherman’s Daughter, which was formerly known as Dockside Fish Market. 

“We feel incredibly honored to carry on the traditions started by Shele and Harley Toftey and most recently Abby, Sam, Kate and Jeremy,” she said in an online post. “As owners of The Fishermen’s Daughter, we will continue to pay tribute and acknowledge the restaurant's history as well as remain a staple of Grand Marais with amazing food, incredible hospitality and sense of community.”

North House Folk School purchased the Dockside Fish Market building in December 2017. At that time, the community was concerned about the future of the market and the restaurant. The public hoped that the business started by Harley and Shele Toftey would continue. That was the case, with North House partnering with Morey’s Seafood Market.

That partnership came to an end in November 2019, leaving Cook County residents wondering if Dockside would close for good.

In March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the world, North House officials announced the new operators of the fish market were local residents Abby Tofte and Sam Hedstrom, owners of The Big Lake, and Kate and Jeremy Keeble, owners of Hungry Hippie Hostel and Hungry Hippie Tacos.

The soon to be previous owners worked closely with North Superior Fisheries, the commercial fishing business also based in the Dockside building. That business is run by Tyler Smith, Zachary Smith, and Eric Brisson, members of longtime North Shore fishing families.

Mumm acknowledged Monday that practice will remain important moving forward.

“We fully understand the fishing heritage that runs deep in this community and we are committed to keeping that a top priority,” she said. “Our goal at (The Fisherman’s Daughter) is to keep our offerings as locally sourced as possible and will continue to support our local fishermen as well as other fishermen on Lake Superior.”

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence contributed to this report.