New owner takes Salem Century ?Underground?

Rob Thornburg brings a familiar name back to Henry County?s roster of restaurateurs ? but he?s taking it ?Underground.?

A chef and chef trainer for more than two decades in Virginia, he has purchased the Salem Century Bar and Grill and renamed it the Underground. The ?Underground? name is a bow to Salem?s Lewelling House, a tourist attraction today that was an integral stop on the Civil War era ?Underground Railroad? for escaped slaves, he said.

The son of the late Bob Thornburg, long-time head chef at the Iris Restaurant, he is purchasing the business from his aunt and uncle, Charles and Teresa Kramer. His mother and Charles Kramer?s sister, Linda Kramer, a recently retired tax attorney, also has moved back to the Salem community.

Thornburg plans some remodeling and adding some additional items to the menu in coming weeks. Already popular is a prime rib night held the second Friday of each month, he said.