My heart had been broken recently, and I was feeling blue. Hani and I were watching the flames, and chatting about life. Occasionally she would have a fire, usually on a cold night, and would invite people over. His wife Mary Lee and two of his children were there, along with a number of Margie’s friends and neighbors. Years later, Hani and I were sitting on a log at a bonfire one evening at Bee Heaven Farm. The older goats were friendly, and came up to the fence to nibble on my clothes. They also liked to climb on top of an old white plastic toy igloo then leap off, or nap inside it. One kid would climb on top of an old stump, then the next would push him off and climb up. Hani explained that goats like to climb on top of things. They were in constant motion and very entertaining to watch. The front yard had been transformed into a goats’ playground, as the young kids bounced, leaped, trotted, skipped and climbed on top of anything. I visited a few weeks after they were born. Hani also introduced me to his kids – his Nubian goats’ offspring, that is. It was all scrumptious, and again, hard to choose my favorite. This is how I learned about ful mudamas (fava bean dish) and namoura (sweet semolina cake). Occassionally he would drop off something different for Margie to try. Of course Hani teamed up with Margie Pikarsky to provide his cooked food and cheese as add-on shares for her weekly CSA veggie boxes. The food was tasty and the dinners were popular. Hani expanded into preparing various Lebanese dishes, and hosted several dinners around the Redland area. They were all very good, including the one made with tart cas guava. He created goat milk ice cream – yes, ice cream! It had some of that traditional goat cheese funk and tang, and was flavored with tropical fruits and fresh sugar from local growers. Hani expanded sales to other farmers markets, and provided cheese to several local restaurants. For some time he didn’t have a tent for market, and relied on shade from his trademark Panama hat. I do recall that he had a cooler loaded with containers of cheese and milk on ice. It was delicious! I asked him his secret, and he told me, but now as I write this, I can’t remember what it was. The farmers cheese was firm, a lttle crumbly, and sweet. Hani invited me to try a bite, and cautiously, I did. I was reluctant to try, because I had never liked the tang of soft goat cheese, and have problems with cow’s milk. He was enthusiastic about the health benefits of goat milk, how it differs from cow’s milk, and how his cheese was the best. Hani had his table set up next to Bee Heaven Farm’s sprawling tent, and he was offering tastes of his artisanal farmer’s cheese made from goat milk. The market was a motley bunch of tents and vendors selling all manner of locally grown produce, flowers and treats. I first met Hani Khouri at a farmers market set up in a parking lot in front of a grocery store off US1. So, in Manti, Utah there are not a great deal of things to really keep you occupied while attending the Mormon Miracle Pageant but the Oolite Cheese Company is a little treasure if you like boutique, artisan cheeses.Hani Khouri and his ice cream scooper ready to go! Rachel Wilcox, the proprietor, is a gracious host and she will give you the skinny on how to make cheese with a small tour. She and her husband Joel moved from Southern California back to Utah.to make cheese.not just any cheese mind you but sheep's milk cheese. Who would have thought that those obnoxious sheep would produce enough milk to make a milkshake let alone cheese. The Oolite Cheese Company combines the tasty sheeps milk with the right cultures and uses a local limestone composite, Oolite, as the bacterial catalyst.īut produce they do and wonderful cheeses are the product. Oolite Cheese Company in Manti, reviews by real people. The Oolite Cheese Company combines the tasty sheep's milk with the right cultures and uses a local limestone composite, Oolite, as the bacterial catalyst. Yelp is a fun and easy way to find, recommend and talk about what’s great and not so great in Manti and beyond. The results are well-defined cheeses that do not disappoint. They may have even discovered a new, yet to be discovered, mold variety. One of the best parts of the experience is having Rachel tell the tale of how their individual cheeses got their names. They even produce a Penicillium roqueforti variety that is quite delicious With the emphasis on local production, the sheep's milk is from a nearby sheep dairy (my cousin's farm to be exact but I have no interest in this venture). The Oolite Cheese Company doesn't have a great deal of product on hand and there isn't much of a "shop." But, you will find a "homey" atmosphere welcoming you to their neck of the woods and their great cheese experiment.
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