The name of Kevin Scharpf’s restaurant reflects his vision for what he wanted it to be: Bold, brash and brazen — in a good way.

“We took a risk at the beginning in Dubuque, not knowing how we’d be perceived and not knowing how much we’d be welcomed,” said Scharpf, owner and chef of Brazen Open Kitchen + Bar. “Brazen really fit this idea of trying to do food maybe with an approach we were not entirely accustomed to.”

The risk was worth taking.

Scharpf and his staff are reflecting on what they’ve built and accomplished in the 10 years since opening the restaurant.

“I’m proud that Dubuque and the community have allowed us the success that we have,” he said.

A vision

A Galena, Ill., native who attended culinary school in Minneapolis and had a stint in New York City, Scharpf couldn’t deny the small-town boy within.

“(My wife and I) did the small-town thing where we went out and got life experience, went to school, then we came back (to the tri-state area),” he said. “I’ve always loved the area, not just for the landscape, (but) when you’re raised in a small town in the Midwest you have a huge appreciation for how slow we might live here.”

Upon his return, Scharpf first worked at the kitchen in Diamond Jo Casino. While he compared owning a restaurant as a young person interested in the culinary trades to the dream of making the big leagues for a young baseball player, owning his own place wasn’t always the goal. Eventually, though, he changed his mind.

“I felt like I had to take a chance on something,” he said.

Despite working in Dubuque at the time, Scharpf wasn’t well-acquainted with the Millwork District, where his restaurant now resides.

“I drove down here, and I remember looking in through the glass of the front door and the concrete floors weren’t even here, it was kind of a dirt pit on the inside. I think it was something about the area, the brick, the old building that reminded me a lot of what became popular in certain districts in Chicago and some of the other bigger cities,” he said. “As soon as I saw the space, I knew exactly what it could be.”

Scharpf said he did not greatly change the appearance of 955 Washington St., No. 101.

“It already had its own vibe,” he said. “We just took that and we built upon it.”

Current menu items include seafood, pasta and chicken. Scharpf said he is not aiming for any particular genre or ethnic cuisine, though the menu emphasizes locally sourced and fresh ingredients.

“It’s just meant to be yummy,” he said. “If you like really tasty food that has some kind of eclecticism to it, then you’ll enjoy Brazen.”

A milestone

Duck tacos. Potato-wrapped halibut. Moz blocks — an upscale version of a popular appetizer dish.

“It’s essentially a mozzarella stick but done in a way that is worthy of maybe a finer dining experience,” Scharpf explained.

These were among the items on the menu in Brazen’s early days.

“(They) were kind of things we did at the beginning that, for us, set the tone of what kind of restaurant we wanted to be,” Scharpf said.

Earlier this month, those dishes were back on the menu for a few days to mark Brazen’s 10-year anniversary, which fell on Feb. 10.

To recognize this milestone, Scharpf is reflecting not only on his restaurant’s origins but the people who have made it special throughout the past decade.

“It’s all about the staff,” he said. “We attract passionate people … who want to make a difference. I think without them, Brazen isn’t what it is.”

Several staff members at Brazen have been around since almost the beginning. General manager Stephanie Mihalakis-Persian has been around since day one, starting as a server.

“I was 23 when I started,” Mihalakis-Persian said. “I worked (at Brazen) most of my adulthood. I’ve grown a lot.”

Mihalakis-Persian agrees with Scharpf that the staff is what makes Brazen special.

“Everybody has a different personality they bring to the table,” she said. “Everyone brings all their values to the company and makes it an enjoyable place to work.”

Overall, she said the values of the company are still the same 10 years later.

“(We’re) very hospitality-driven, customer-focused, community-focused,” she said.

In his time at Brazen, Scharpf has earned many accolades. His recognitions include being one of FSR Magazine’s 40 under 40 rising stars in 2016 and being named Iowa Restaurant Association’s Chef of the Year in 2019. Three years later, he was a semifinalist for “Best Chef: Midwest” from the James Beard Foundation Awards. He also appeared on season 16 of “Top Chef.”

He considers these to be not necessarily personal achievements, but community achievements in an industry largely dominated by bigger cities.

“All of those things have been cherries on top … being able to prove what we do in Dubuque is just as exciting and just as worthy as any other area,” he said.