When I was visiting the Okanagan, I had a chance to visit Ofri Barmor at Carmelis Goat Cheese farm. Her family raises goats and is making delicious goat cheeses that are a hit of the west coast. Everywhere I went chef's were using Carmelis's cheese and it was for sale all over Vancouver. Barmor and her family had only just arrived in Canada from Isreal, the year of the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire. The fire has become part of the folklore of the region. Many of the farmers I went to visit had incredible stories of survival and community that rose out of the ashes, the Barmor's proudly share their story with their visitors . They finished building the farm and the herd of 60 goat's arrived August 12th, 2003. On August 16th the devastating fire wiped out the mountain. They had not been part of the community long and had no connections. Barmor tells her guests the story of being told they needed to leave their farm, "In Israel, if there is a terrorist attack you don't get an evacuation notice" . By a twist of fate she was able to make a plea on the local radio station and asked if anyone could come save her goats. Within half and hour there were ten pick up trucks with trailers on the road ready to ferry her goats out. Barmor is very proud of the community she is helping to build in the Okanagan, and when you are there you hear story after story of the strong community ties that define the area. They lost just about everything in the fire, "On August 21 st Timberline Road was on fire and our goat cheese farm that was being built and almost completed completely burnt down to ashes and our house was damaged." The family forged ahead and only a few short years later they now have a booming business - it was a challenge to get a scoop of their delicious goat gelato when I visited! The beautiful view of the Okanagan from the shop, Ofri Barmor, in front of the cheese making room. She is happy to give you a tour of the farm, Some of the goats... and there babies. The goat's graze and are given no hormones. They are allowed to dry off so produce milk on a natural cycle. I'll have more on the cheese tomorrow. Click here to sign up for Christine's Food for Friends e-newsletter!