A new street food venue has put itself firmly on the Derry foodie map with the opening of Notorious Street Food, a long-term dream of hospitality worker and owner Caolan McCourt.
Wanting to bring his love for hospitality to his passion for food, Caolan made his long time dream come true when the takeaway industry boomed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caolan spoke to MyDerry about his journey to making his business dream a reality. He said: "This was something I have dreamed about since I was 14 or 15 years of age. I have worked in the hospitality industry for years.
Read more: Derry council's summer scheme is perfect for families on a budget
"I am a hotel manager as well as running Notorious and I just took the dive after covid and just thought go for it why not give it a go. I wanted to bring something new to the area and have a bit of fun with it.
" I am in awe of how far it has come. I lie in bed and dream about what I’m doing the next day. This is my dream and making it a reality is just unbelievable."
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Caolan decided it was time to take the plunge into street food and take advantage of schemes and help being given to start up local businesses.
He said: "Takeaways was the only market that was opened during covid and only thing that boomed. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur and do my own thing in my own passion through food.
"I found myself in a good position to be able to branch out and do my own thing. When COVID hit I thought I just have to go for it. I took part in every scheme that was on offer to help local businesses take off. The support from the city really helped it take off."
Keen on supporting local by using local produce freshly prepared each day, Notorious Street Food has seen other businesses keen to support them. Caolan said: "The publicity and collaboration throughout the city from other restaurants is just amazing. It is really taking off and god knows what is on the horizon.
"It is essential to have that network of support for any small business. Building that rapport from the community is essential.
"My partner supported me the whole way through and having that family support and customer support is making it what it is today. Without that we would not be here.
"Social media has also helped massively. People do not understand how important and how much of a big deal it is for people to share us on their social media or recommend us to their friends.
For Caolan, running Notorious Street Food is more than a job. For him, it is the realisation of the dream he had as a teenager. With massive community support, he feels as if he doesn't have to work a day in his life.
He said: " It doesn’t even feel like work and the customers see it. We have a large number of repeat customers who come for fresh good food and a bit of craic.
"I wanted to give a massive thank you to the people of Derry, they do what they do best and stand behind each other and support their own. It is what the city has always been about and it is a key factor for local businesses like mines."
READ NEXT:
- Jason Manford hails 'special' Derry crowd who picked him up when he was feeling low
- Derry mum on helping others grieve after losing "beautiful" baby girl to stillbirth
- Derry play park damaged by 'thugs' in vandalism attack
- Tributes paid to Ethan McCourt after six-year-old dies following Castledawson crash
To get the latest breaking news from Co Derry straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
