Nostalgia with Michigan’s outdoor TikTok star
By Kierstin Gunsberg | August 17, 2024
If downing some grape Faygos after a swim in the lake and then competing in Super Mario Bros. with your best buds sounds like a perfect late summer evening to you, then you’re probably one of Old Time Hawkey’s 8 million-plus TikTok followers.
The account documents the quiet adventures of a mustachioed Yooper who calls himself “Fritz” and his beaming Australian Shepherds Donnybrook and Kris Draper (named after the former Detroit Red Wings player). The trio posts almost weekly as they explore their cedar swamp in northern Michigan, all with a nostalgic ’90s twist—no trendy songs or Facetuned mirror selfies here.
Instead, the sweet sight of chickadees frolicking and the hum of a beloved VHS recorder, heralding the start of a relaxing weekend, create the calming cottage atmosphere of “Old Time Hawkey.”
The magic of memory
“I never had any ambition to be on social media,” says Fritz, reflecting on how he started Old Time Hawkey as a creative outlet at the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns. Ambition or not, his following quickly grew from a few hundred loyal fans to millions, including household names like Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder and even Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
“At first, my videos were mostly about hockey, fishing and hiking. Eventually, they started to be more about me than the audience,” says Fritz. He moved on to creating content that engaged viewers as if they were right there with him, and wanted to present his experiences like “a good poem” that resonated with viewers on a personal level.
It was a successful strategy. At a time when the world teetered on the brink of despair, Old Time Hawkey’s glimpses of a carefree reality of bird watching, cooking in cast iron skillets, and cozy slumber parties in cabins became a wholesome and welcome reminder of the past, especially for anyone who had spent their childhood trudging through Michigan’s woods.
“Whether it’s an old recipe, a campfire, a video game or a classic movie, I think the videos can help people relive and enjoy old memories,” says Fritz, noting that the dogs are a big crowd puller.
While most dogs can’t handle the pressure of stifling their romps on camera, Kris Draper (the affectionate “goofball” of the canine duo) and Donnybrook (the more “stoic” pup) are mostly naturals. “There are things I do that might help them when filming videos, like calling out ‘good boys’ to get them to look at the camera,” Fritz explains. “But everything else they do themselves.”
Cooking for guests
Old Time Hawkey’s most popular content includes comfort food recipes perfect for enjoying after a day on the lake: Dutch oven doughnuts mixed with cinnamon and sugar, chili slow-cooked in a floral vintage crockpot, and upscale camping fare like backpackers pad thai.
After four years of sharing his dishes with the masses, Fritz compiled his favorites into a cookbook collection of 100 “easy recipes” inspired by the nostalgia of his childhood in Northern Michigan. The cookbook was published by DK this spring. Old Hawkey Recipes from the Cedar Swamppress the New York Times bestseller list and led to a sold-out national reading tour where Fritz was able to meet and talk to long-time fans.
“I felt like a fish out of water for most of the tour,” he admits. “But at the events, I just felt comfortable talking to people. It was great to put faces to all the comments, all the followers, all the love. The conversations were all heartfelt.”
Fritz, who enjoys grabbing a quick bite at Andy’s Party Store in Charlevoix or Cousin Jenny’s Cornish Pasties in Traverse City, says it was important to him to create a cookbook that reflects both his up north roots and his unique approach to cooking, which often includes pulling out the stove to whip up a quick one-course meal or baking a variety of pies over an open fire in his quaint up north cabin.
“For me, cooking is also about serving and hospitality, so I tried to incorporate a lot of group recipes: casseroles, crockpot meals, and dishes that are cooked and enjoyed around a campfire,” he says. “I believe that food is meant to be eaten in a group, with family and friends, but I also think that good food can provide the same comfort when you’re alone.”
Fireplace favorites
Although the pups don’t get to enjoy the dishes from Old Time Hawkey’s cookbook, Fritz says they love a special dog food recipe that’s cooked over an open fire, “because that means we’re on an adventure.”
Here’s their favorite meal after a whole day of being good boys: 1) Sauté 1 cup ground turkey with a pinch of parsley. 2) Add veggies: 1 cup diced sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup diced carrots, 1/2 cup green beans (cut into bite-sized pieces). 3) Add 2 cups water and simmer. 4) Let cool, then serve.
As for his own favorite dishes from the book, Fritz says Copper Miner’s Pasty, Fireside Apple Cider and Grandpa Bob’s Fudge are at the top of his list.
“But my absolute favorite is my grandmother’s mistake cookies,” he says. A fluffy sugar cookie just waiting to be dipped in an ice-cold cup of milk. The recipe was a family recipe passed down to Fritz’s grandmother, who messed up some important details when baking it. But, he sums up, “it was still delicious and became a family favorite.”
Lightning Round Q&A with Fritz
Old Time Hawkey is all about a slower pace of life, but we got him to answer these 10 quick questions:
1. Top three things to have when tailgating before a Red Wings game? “Cold pop, Coneys, Bob Seger.”
2. Without giving away your secret spots, what is your strategy for finding morels? “Look where the dew drops.”
3. It’s fair season and you’ve just ordered a pile of chips. Do you douse them with malt vinegar or a dash of hot cheese? “Definitely hot cheese. And chili.”
4. You had a little too much fun on the carousel. Is your drink ginger ale or lemonade? “Ginger ale if it’s Vernors. Lemonade if not.”
5. Cast iron – soap or no soap (and why)? “I used to not use soap because I heard it was bad for the iron, but I’ve since learned that you can use it as long as it doesn’t contain any degreasers or antibacterial ingredients. I usually scrub it with hot water and coarse salt, though. Occasionally I use equal parts white vinegar and water to give it a thorough clean.”
5. It’s pie season. Ketchup, gravy or nothing? “Mostly gravy. Sometimes hot ketchup and sometimes plain.”
7. You have rented videos for a relaxing weekend in the cabin. What is the program? “It is summer right now, so I would choose Sandlot, Jaws, Big Fish, Hook, Then and Now, Happy Gilmore, Goofy: The MovieAnd The great outdoors.”
8. What’s the best way to get a broken Game Boy cartridge working again? “Grow a mustache or find someone with a mustache who can blow into it.”
9. You’re heading to the lake to do some catch and release fishing. What flavor of Better Made chips did you pack? “Rainbow Old Fashioned Dark.”
10. If you could bottle one scent from the cedar swamp and share it with your followers, what would it be? “The smell of cedar in general, or maybe the smell of my campfire when I’m making a pineapple pie or monkey bread.”
Photo by Kelley Jordan Schuyler
