CHEF Ben Devlin of Paper Daisy fame at the lush Halycon House is set to leave the restaurant and open his own in Pottsville.

In what is a massive win for the Pottsville community, Mr Devlin will leave the award-winning Paper Daisy to open the yet-to-be-named restaurant at 8 Coronation Ave in the town's main street.

Mr Devlin told the Tweed Daily News he had wanted to own his own restaurant "as long as I've been working as a chef”.

"My uncle started The Fig Tree in Byron and most of the really great chefs I've worked with have not only run the kitchen but also run the restaurant, so that's the progression I'd like to have as well,” he said.

Mr Devlin said his new restaurant would not be "super focused” on fine dining but instead be a more relaxed place for the entire community to enjoy.

"We're trying to make something that is a little bit special to this area where we can, so using ingredients we have readily available and the cooking techniques that will suit our climate and conditions, so a lot of seafood and vegetables, not a massive menu but a menu we can change reasonably frequently,” he said.

"What we really want to create is a really nice community space.

"We want to be working with as many people from the area as possible in regards to getting it finished and stocking up on plates and food so we can ideally make it something that my family are really proud of and the community has an attachment to, as we're all part of a larger community working on it or working in it.”

Mr Devlin said while he was "very excited” about opening the restaurant, he was still focused on his work at Paper Daisy until he opens his own early next year.

"I'm excited to get stuck into it but I'm still working at Paper Daisy until the end of the year,” he said.

"At the moment I'm still focused on doing the best I can and leaving this place in the best possible shape for the future.”