Mark Best

Originally an electrician in the goldmines of Western Australia, Mark Best has come a long way to launch an amazing food career culminating in the creation of his multi-award winning restaurant, Marque, in Sydney. In his early years, he honed his skills working with acclaimed chefs across the UK and Europe including Alain Passard at his three-Michelin-starred restaurant L'Arpege, in Paris, and Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons in Great Milton, UK. Best is now arguably considered one of the best chefs and restaurateurs in the world and the now 15-year-old Marque continues to push culinary boundaries. His restaurant was named in the S. Pellegrino Top 100 Best Restaurants in the World in both 2011 and 2012, and topped the Australian contingent in Elite Traveller's top 100 restaurants in 2014 (coming in at No.35). He was also awarded a prestigious three hats by the respected Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for 10 consecutive years. More recently, Best has launched the bistronomy-style restaurants Pei Modern in Melbourne and Sydney, and he is the author of the well-received book Marque (2011). Now, 25 years after his first foray into the world of food, Best has established a place in the pantheon of chefs of international renown – for example, Rene Redzepi provided the foreword to his first book Marque, while chef and restaurateur David Chang provided an endorsement. Best regularly travels to the US and UK – and has strong contacts internationally.