Simon Dougan is proprietor of premier NI outside catering company Yellow Door with a clientele that includes royalty, presidents, prime ministers, business leaders and top celebrities.

An innovator in his field, Simon has an appetite for creative cooking, continually dreaming up ideas to draw the eye and tempt the taste buds with imaginative dishes which use the very best of quality local produce.

From his base in Portadown, Simon caters for many premier events in the Province including, this year, the NI US Investment Conference, the first Prince's Trust VIP charity event in Northern Ireland at Baronscourt and TV's Emmerdale Roadshow at Cultra. In addition, he enjoys a growing reputation in the Republic of Ireland where he is exploring exciting new avenues. Simon also runs two highly popular delis in Portadown and Belfast where customers can enjoy the delicious dishes Simon and his team create in the buzz of a busy cafe.

Simon first began to develop his culinary skills at the family home in Killylea, County Armagh. His father kept livestock and grew his own vegetables, his mother was a renowned baker and his gran gave demonstrations in butter making – all the ‘ingredients' to nurture in Simon a passion for good food and a desire to share it with others. Coming from a large family and with both parents working, it was often left to Simon to drum up the daily meal and he enjoyed the challenge of inventing new dishes, often made from left over ‘odds and ends'.

After leaving school Simon studied catering at college and, on attaining his qualifications, went to work in a variety of hotels and restaurants in London before taking some time off to tour Europe in a camper van, searching out the secrets of top chefs to satisfy his appetite for ever more culinary knowledge.

On his return home he took a job as chef at Sarah Moon's restaurant in Gilford which he eventually bought over, renamed the Yellow Door and launched his career, opening a deli in Portadown and later selling the restaurant as demand for his outside catering grew, first in weddings and then also in the corporate market.

A keen advocate of good quality local produce, Simon grows his own vegetables, fruit and herbs at the family home outside Portadown he shares with his wife Jilly, the proprietor of Moyallon Foods which sources and supplies quality produce to many of Northern Ireland's hotels, restaurants and bars. Both are passionate about the importance in educating children on eating good, healthy food and towards this end Simon recently sponsored a NI wide primary school competition on organic gardening organized by Jilly.