Mark Best, the chef behind fine diner Marque in Sydney’s Surry Hills, is closing the flagship restaurant after 17 years.

“It is of course with mixed emotions that I have made this decision, however it seems sensible, timely and prudent to do so. The personal investment in a small business takes its toll, and it’s with a combination of a sense of loss, pride and relief that I bring this phase of my career to a close,” the chef said today.

The chef has previously denied rumours that the fine diner would close, labelling the claims “overstated”. The chef will now turn his attention to Pei Modern in Melbourne and at The Four Seasons in Sydney.

The chef says he opened a “small bistro” in 1999, and that “many hats, stars, awards and a bit of international renown later, I can look back with pride on what was achieved in this small shopfront on Crown Street”.

He labels his proudest legacy the young people who have worked in the restaurant’s kitchen, “embraced the process and pushed themselves to do the very best they could every day”.

Marque alumni include Pasi Petänen, Nick Hildebrandt, Brent Savage, Dan Hong, Dan Pepperell, Isaac McHale, Daniel Puskas, Karl Firla, Victor Liong, Joachim Borenius, Lorenzo Cogo, Alex Muñoz, Adam Wolfers, Lauren Eldridge, Jacob Davey, Mette Brink Søberg, Nobu Lee and Chris Boersma.

The chef has also listed for sale his converted warehouse in Pyrmont, for $2 million. The restaurateur and head chef bought the apartment for $875,000 in 2007 and added the one-bedder next door the following year for $520,000, Domain reports. The two apartments were then gutted and amalgamated by architect Julius Bokor. A May 28 auction has been set for the two storey apartment.