- George Fotenos, co-owner of The Stable, makes sandwiches during the lunch rush. Fotenos and Rex Harper opened the shop in December. View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

In a 'stable' setting, they make monsters

Former Culpeper gridiron teammates open sandwich shop at site rumored to have once been a stable for Robert E. Lee's horse

Date published: 1/31/2008

BY DONNIE JOHNSTON

Rex Harper's plan was to provide Culpeper with something he thought it didn't have.

"I felt that no restaurant in Culpeper made a really good sandwich," the 53-year-old entrepreneur says.

So, with the help of his old friend and high school football teammate George Fotenos, Harper set out to correct the situation.

The result is The Stable, located at 129 E. Culpeper St., and if the restaurant's first six weeks of operation are any indication, Harper's quest for the perfect sandwich may be termed an unqualified success.

"We call them 'monster sandwiches,' and the corned-beef Reuben is our signature sandwich," says Harper. "People seem to love them."

If you don't believe that statement, just stop in one day during the lunch rush. Customers who have discovered this quaint little restaurant keep crowding in, waiting for a table.

"One day we emptied three times during lunch," says Fotenos. "We thought somebody had parked a bus out front."

Harper smiles, declaring that customers visit The Stable because of Fotenos' culinary talents.

"George makes a helluva sandwich," the businessman says.

teaming up

Fotenos' father, Pete, was in the restaurant business (he did his own cooking) in Culpeper three decades ago, and Harper operated Rex's Sports Bar on Davis Street from 1997 to 2002.

But Harper says he didn't like operating a sports bar, and sold the operation prior to moving into real-estate speculation. When the real-estate market dried up, he decided to get back into the restaurant business.

About a year ago, Harper conceived the "good sandwich" idea and asked his old football teammate (Harper was a linebacker at Culpeper High, while Fotenos played on the offensive line) if he would be interested in working with him.

Fotenos, then cooking for a now-defunct restaurant, jumped at the idea.

Harper was attracted to the Culpeper Street site because of its size and location--one block off Davis Street and half a block off Main. What he didn't know at the time was that the old building's history would contribute significantly to his restaurant's success.

"I found out that this part of the building, essentially a lean-to, was part of an old livery stable," Harper says. "Then I was told that while Gen. Robert E. Lee stayed at the Hill House in Culpeper, he stabled his horse Traveller here."

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Date published: 1/31/2008