Hospitality is in Atef Seefen’s heart, but timber and horses are never far away. At Wooden Horse, he has built a venue that reflects his journey from Egypt to Tasmania, where every table, wall and chandelier tells a story. G rowing up in Alexandria, Egypt, Atef Seefen’s childhood was steeped in horses. His family owned a large Arabian horse stud, breeding animals that were sold to European countries, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. The rhythm of hooves and the sight of finely bred stallions defined much of his early life. Yet while Atef loved the horses, he didn’t follow in the footsteps of his parents. His father was an engineer, his mother a doctor, and family expectations were for him to also take a professional path. He even dabbled in engineering for a time, but quickly discovered it wasn’t his calling. Instead, his heart belonged to hospitality. His first taste of the industry came in spectacular fashion – working on cruise ships. For seven years, he worked on board vessels travelling between Sydney, Hobart and New Zealand. Each time the ship docked in Hobart, something tugged at him. Eventually, he could no longer ignore the pull and he anchored in the state’s capital.
“I love Egypt, and I still go back every year, I still have my house there. My father was an engineer and my mum, she was a doctor and I had a background in engineering as well, but it’s not my cup of tea. I love hospitality,” Atef says. “I used to work on a cruise ship, I was on that for seven years and every time I came over to Hobart, I loved it. After I finished my contract, within six months I ended in Hobart.” Once he had docked in Tasmania, Atef spent 17 years at Wrest Point Casino, working his way up to become supervisor and food and beverage manager. He helped establish Marquis Bistro and Buffet, and then 12 months ago his latest venture came calling. This step gave rise to Wooden Horse, his Mid-Town venue named after a striking wooden horse he found at auction more than a decade ago. “I love horses. I found this one wooden horse at a Gowan Auction, about 11 years ago, and instantly I knew I had to have it,” Atef says. “This horse, it sat under my house for 11 years. It’s handmade Tasmanian wood, carved from one piece of timber. I always actually loved [the idea] to open something [involving the name] horse, but there were already businesses around here, the Waggon [formerly the
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Tasmanian Hospitality Review October/November Edition
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