Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/112499
pro���le: ofri barmor Crafting standout cheeses in Okanagan wine country is kid���s play ��� I told him, ���I have 90 goats, I can���t just leave. I can���t put them in my pickup truck.��� ���Ofri Barmor O fri Barmor is introducing me to her goats. In addition to producing milk, this lively collection of two-dozen animals provides a constant source of entertainment at Carmelis Goat Cheese Artisan, the boutique fromagerie that Ofri and her husband, Ofer, operate 12 kilometres south of downtown Kelowna. ���Each goat has its own character and its own friends, and they are very picky about the order they do things in,��� explains the vivacious 41-year-old, flashing a disarming smile. ���Of course they are also happy goats, because they have a million-dollar view,��� she says, gesturing at the expanse of forest rolling down the hillside to the shimmering blue surface of Okanagan Lake. Goat-cheese producers are rare in B.C., and of the handful that do exist, Carmelis stands out not only because of the distinctive flavours and variety of its cheeses but for its approach. ���They make high-quality local cheese using very old traditional French techniques. That���s a very cool thing,��� says James Hanna, chef de cuisine at RauDZ Regional Table, Kelowna���s hottest dining spot. Yet the Barmors travelled an unlikely path en route to such accolades, beginning Carmelis p20-23_Profile.indd 21 ��� with a 1997 car accident in Israel that left Ofer a quadriplegic and Ofri fighting for her life. Both emerged from the tragedy determined to live active lives. And when the couple travelled to B.C. on vacation in 2002, they chose to visit the Okanagan in part because of the disabled skiers program run by Vernon���s Silver Star Mountain Resort. After sampling the skiing, they then drove south and toured the local wine country, and quickly recognized an untapped commercial opportunity. ���There was a lot of wine but no place to buy specialty cheeses,��� recalls Ofri, ���and cheese was something we knew how to do.��� The Barmors were already running a successful goat-cheese business in Israel, but the location of their farm, near the strife-torn West Bank, did not seem an ideal place to raise two young daughters. In contrast, ���the Okanagan,��� says Ofri, ���seemed like Paradise.��� On the last day of their Canadian getaway, they purchased a piece of property at the southern end of Kelowna���s Lakeshore wine-tasting route. ONE OF THE FEW FROMAGERIES IN B.C. to focus solely on cheeses made from goats milk (with no additives, preservatives or arti���cial aids to accelerate the aging process during production, to boot), Carmelis has ���so many people wanting cheese in summer we can���t keep up up with the demand.��� But then, turning challenges into triumphs is what it���s all about for Kelowna ���rebrand Ofri Barmor and family. WESTWORLD >> FA L L 2 0 1 2 21 12-08-17 1:45 PM