Meet Tammy Jesse of Hagen’s Fish Market in Portage Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Jesse.

No one knows the exact date when the two Hagen brothers, Bennett and Donald and their wives opened the market in 1946, but when asked they’ll tell you, “it was sometime in summer.” Their father, a commercial fisherman on Washington Island, WI, mortgaged the family home to provide the brothers with enough seed money to start their own store. They decided to build in an area “on the outskirts of Chicago” (Montrose & Parkside) because they could afford the land. They recall fellow church members feeling sorry for them for opening a business “so far out in the middle of nowhere.” Determined to succeed, the brothers and their wives worked long hours, insisted on selling only the very freshest fish, and made their customers feel welcome and appreciated. Over the years as the business grew, the family looked on as the Jefferson Park and Portage Park neighborhoods also grew around them.

Around 1975, the second generation, Don, and Charlene Breede, joined the family business and added their own magic touch to the store.

The selection of fresh fish more than tripled as they saw an opportunity to bring in fresh fish directly from the East Coast several times per week. They also added some delicious new recipes which have become long-standing staples for customers, such as Charlene’s Crab Dip.

Today, two Hagen granddaughters, Tammy and Julie, and Julie’s husband Scott is following in the family tradition, as they continue to operate one of the last surviving natural hardwood smokehouses in Chicago, and serve the finest seafood using guarded family recipes.

Fresh fish is still brought in daily, cocktail shrimp are boiled fresh each morning, and shrimp and fish are breaded and fried for lunch and dinner customers 7 days a week

Has it been a smooth road?
Owning a small family business is always going to include struggles. Staying current, offering the freshest product and competing with other fisheries and supermarkets are just some of the issues we have faced throughout our history.
Additionally, competing with big box stores is always a problem for small family businesses
However, strong community ties and dedication to quality have kept our business growth throughout its 71 years.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Hagen’s Fish Market story. Tell us more about the business.
We are very proud of our original hardwood burning smokehouse, one of only two remaining in the Chicagoland area. Every day we build a real hardwood fire to smoke our fish and cook them until they are the perfect golden color. One of our favorites is Hagen’s salmon candy. We start with the freshest salmon, marinate it in a blend of salt, maple syrup, and brown sugar, then baste with honey while it cooks over the fire. It is the perfect sweet and salty treat! Not only do we smoke our fish, our customers can bring in their own catch for us to smoke.

We are also very proud of the fact that we serve only wild-caught shrimp in our store. Our family believes Hagen’s offers the best tasting shrimp available. Finally, we are so proud to be the third generation of a small business dedicated to quality and service, with strong community ties. We’ve been here for 71 years, and are still going strong!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As overfishing and climate change effect markets, the challenge will be to continue to offer a wide variety of responsibly caught fish and seafood.
As customers are becoming more and more conscious of options such as wild-caught and sustainably-fished seafood, it will be important for the industry to respond to their demands with affordable choices.

Contact Info:

• Address: 5635 W Montrose Ave
  Chicago, IL 60635
• Website: www.hagensfishmarket.com
• Phone: 773-283-1944
• Email: hagensfishmarket@yahoo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hagensfishmarket/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hagens-Fish-Market-107061755979130/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HagensFish

Image Credit:
Photos by Micah

Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.