Peter & Doreen Wileman have worked in the hospitality industry for thirty five years, working in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong

Peter completed a four year cooking apprenticeship in England and continued to gain qualifications to 'Master Craftsman' level  as he worked through the formal kitchen  hierarchy in a variety of first class hotels to the position of Head Chef.

Peter & Doreen emigrated to Australia in 1974 (Taking Australian Citizenship in 1978) working for major hotel chain such as Sheraton and Hilton. In 1980 Peter changed career direction by gaining a teaching position in the Cookery Department  position at Melbourne's 'William Angliss College' Gaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in the process.

In 1987 Peter was invited to the position of head chef for the America's Cup dinner for 3,500 people in the Woolsheds at Fremantle in Western Australia. The job included designing the menu, purchasing the commodities and arranging deliveries from around Australia to Fremantle in a timely manner, and also to recruit a team of chef's in Victoria to fly over to Western Australia to prepare and serve the menu on the night.  

In 1988 an offer of a lecturing position in Hong Kong was too good to refuse and so the Wileman's spent the next ten years living the life of the 'Expat' in Hong Kong, which led to a new level of learning the foods and cooking styles around South East Asia and a Master of Science degree for Peter and a Higher Certificate in wine studies for Peter and Doreen (Doreen 'with distinction'!). After all those years of living in a fairly polluted region, returning to Australia involved a search for somewhere 'clean and green'.

Peter and Doreen found a building block in Hobart to build their house and final home before gracefully retiring. Peter was employed at Drysdale Hospitality College in Hobart, but as had always happened before, the itch to find another challenge led Doreen to spot 'Hobnobs' listed in a real estate guide, and so on Christmas Eve 2003, they drove to Westbury to view the heritage listed building with large windows, French doors and polished Tasmanian Oak floors... and bought it.

After six weeks of hard work renovating, cleaning and improving the electrical and heating systems (including fitting two new open wood fires into the colonial fireplaces) Hobnobs Licensed Restaurant opened for business on the sixth of May to a full house of Agfest attendees, many of whom have returned each year, often requesting their original tables.