
October 10, 2024 · 0 Comments
By Gail Powell
Whether you’re a daily commuter, a weekend cottager or a wandering country road traveller – there’s no doubt you’ve driven by chef Suthan Rasa’s unassuming Caledon restaurant more than once.
At the busy junction of Hurontario Street and Charleston Sideroad, anchoring the Caledon Village Plaza is a hidden gem of an Italian eatery loved by many north of King Road as well as customers from as far south as Toronto and Oakville.
This authentically dressed eatery – reminiscent of a New York-style Italian trattoria – is complete with red and white checkered tablecloths and a stained-glass Italian flag in the window.
Since 2011, Sri Lankan-born chef Rasa has continued to perfect his upscale Italian cuisine cooking skills at his family’s establishment – the Dolce Family Ristorante.
Customers will sometimes ask Rasa if he draws on any unique cooking techniques learned from his home country.
“When I came to this country from Sri Lanka in the 1990s, I got my first job at an Italian restaurant in Toronto,” recalled Rasa. “I’ve been cooking Italian dishes ever since.”
Orangeville resident and longtime Caledon Townhall Player actor Kim Blacklock is a big fan of chef Rasa’s cooking talents. Blacklock and her fellow theatre folks often dine there when in the village performing at the town hall theatre next door to Dolce.
“We are grateful that Suthan cooks authentic Italian meals,” Blacklock said.
“My favourite dish is their Linguine Mumbai – and we love their pizzas too. I will stop by on Friday nights on my way home from work from Mississauga, to pick up their pizzas. They support our theatre – and we support them too. It’s a win-win!”
Along with an extensive in-house menu of pasta, seafood dishes and artisanal pizzas, Rasa uses his creative skills to offer a full menu board of specials each week.
“I like having a lot of variety of dishes to offer my customers,” Suthan notes. “We are also known for our catering and sandwich platters. People from Toronto on their way up north will order take out platters of sandwiches to eat while they are up at their cottages.”
Another faithful Dolce patron is Judy O’Brien of Orangeville.
“I could not be more impressed with chef Suthan’s restaurant,” she said. “Our family is so happy to have this restaurant in our area and l love that Dolce is a family business too. The quality of the food and the portions are simply outstanding.”
For hours of operation and details about catering and take-out. Check out the Dolce Family Ristorante’s website: https://dolcecaledon.ca/