Pirouetting into the goat cheese business

A pair of former professional ballet dancers are pirouetting from the dance studio to the cheese studio at their new goat farm in southern Alberta.

Craig Sanok and Paul Chambers created the Dancing Goats Farm near Acme, and with names like Waltz and Two Step, their cheeses reflect their dance history.

"When I retired from my performing career I was looking for the next passion I wanted to do," said Sanok.

"Ballet dancing is a passion, you're not going to do it unless you're really passionate about it and I was but it was time for me to move on. I knew I wanted to work with animals and knew I loved working with food."

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While visiting his sister-in-law in the U.S., Sanok helped her milk a neighbour's goats, which became the catalyst.

"We came home and I figured out a really easy cheese recipe and made the cheese and served it her and my brother and his family and it was sort of one of those things that was incredible, being able to go from the animal to the table."

He then spent the next couple of years refining the process.

"At first I thought it was probably going to be along the lines of a hobby," he said.

"But the more I researched it, the more I did it, the more I realized I wanted to do this as my main focus in life and it was probably feasible,"

The process took about five years.

"From that one simple cheese recipe I started experimenting with more and more complex cheeses," he said.

"Cheese is one of those things you can make a really simple, yet delicious cheese to some of the more complicated, surface-ripened cheeses that are bit more finicky."

Sanok spent a year working with a Calgary cheesemaker before the pair moved to the Dancing Goats farm, where they now work full time, rising with the sun.

"Our alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m." said Chambers.

"Then it's out to start watering and feeding all the animals. Then Craig will start milking and he wraps that up about 10 a.m., then he comes in for breakfast and then three days a week goes into the studio and makes the cheese right here on site and he has one day where he's into Calgary delivering to the restaurants and stores we're working with."

The process of watering, feeding and milking is repeated in the evenings as well.

The pair also remain connected to their dance roots, as Paul continues to teach through Alberta Ballet.