For a person who loves to eat game meat, it is a pleasant and surprising change to find pheasant on the menu as the special of the day. So it was on the evening Colin and I went for dinner at the White Truffle, on Orangeville's Broadway.

CHEF John Thambiah works his culinary magic in the kitchen of the White Truffle. Photo/MIKE MALONEY There had been an opportunity earlier in the week to chat to the owners, Sabrina and John Thambiah, about their life of coming together and to this spot in Orangeville.

John trained as a chef in France for three years. He came to Canada and worked as a chef in various restaurants.

He and Sabrina met when they were both working at the Terra Cotta Inn. When he moved to the Elora Mill, he asked her to come and work in the kitchen there.

Sabrina, who was born and raised in Erin, trained as a Registered Nurse and maintains her license even though her life is centred in the restaurant she and John own, and their small son. As well, she is pregnant and is due to have a baby girl in February.

When the location, then called "Delights," came up for sale, it was very a tempting purchase for many reasons. It is close to home for Sabrina; it is a great location and a chance for John to cook in his own restaurant.

Between them, they cover the main roles as chef and front person, although Sabrina also does some of the baking. John is content not to come out into the restaurant.

"I let the food speak for me," he said. "I like to work as chef. This restaurant is working well for us and we like Orangeville. This is a long term arrangement."

They kept the named "Delights" for six months before changing it to The White Truffle. A white truffle, by the bye, is a rare and exotic mushroom, mainly grown in France and Italy. They are extremely expensive and extremely delicious. They are mainly used as that most delicate touch to an exquisite dish and are, truly, quite seasonal.

They are the royalty, as it were, of mushrooms.

John loves to cook the unusual, hence the game meat on his menus. He brings venison and other game in, especially during the season, although he gets it from farmers too. In any event, there is a season, however extended, and it cannot be available all year.

In January, they host a Robbie Burns night, scheduled for the 24th January, next year. They include all the traditions of a parade with pipes, poetry, killing the haggis and offering a selection of Scotch whiskeys.

When I asked why, John told me: "It is something different to do and it gives people something to look forward to in January, which can be a dull month. Nobody else does it."

Back to the pheasant. It was served with a delicate touch of simple and haut cuisine. The meal was "stacked", meaning that the mashed potatoes were under the breast of pheasant, with the vegetables - green beans and asparagus -framing them.

The port sauce was a good accompaniment without overwhelming the fragrant flesh of the pheasant.

Colin had the grilled salmon, which he enjoyed very much. It came with a quiet rice which enhanced but not take away from the flavour of the salmon.

The meal had begun with a pleasing appetizer of fresh bread and good humus and was finished with Colin's having a créme brulée, which he said was wonderful and, for me, a small chocolate truffle (not a mushroom) - delicious.

During our conversation, John made an interesting remark about how some of their clients find out about the restaurant: "We get a lot of customers from the theatre. It draws crowds from outside Orangeville," was his comment.

And I was reminded again of the "synergy" that makes a village, small town or city work.

When I passed John's comment on to David Nairn (artistic director of Theatre Orangeville), he reiterated those sentiments.

"The theatre needs the businesses and restaurants in Orangeville as part of a whole package to encourage people to come here," he said. "Sometimes, I wish the Broadway shops would stay open a little later, especially on the weekends, to give theatregoers something else to do while they are visiting the town. There is more here than the theatre and people from elsewhere need to know that.