THIS MONTH WE SPEAK TO SIMON DOUGAN, WHO RUNS THE YELLOW DOOR - A FAMILY DELI AND CATERING BUSINESS BASED IN PORTADOWN, NORTHERN IRELAND.


TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND


I am a country man at heart and I am the oldest of 10 siblings, 7 of whom are involved in the deli business. I was once a chef and owner of quite a fi ne dining restaurant when I opened a little deli in my local town. I loved the freedom of cooking whatever the fi sh man brought in, or the butcher had an unusual cut or whatever game was in season. I decided to sell the restaurant and concentrate on the deli business which was a lot more casual.


8 The Delicatessen Magazine


WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO OPEN A DELICATESSEN? I love delis and enjoy the freedom of cooking whatever takes my fancy - that’s why the menu changes every day and has only 4 dishes, that way I can cook the very best of seasonal dishes.


IN SHORT RUN US THROUGH YOUR AVERAGE DAY Sadly most of my time is spend in my offi ce pricing jobs


and watching the margins. I have over 60 staff full time and another 60 full and part time involved in our outside catering operation. So in the morning I feed our free range chickens, collect any herbs etc from our extensive kitchen garden and then to the bakery to check all is well - new bread and dessert dishes are evolving all the time (I love developing new creations). Next I head over to our main deli to check in on the kitchen


Deli Profi le


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