Leo Cabrera returns to his Rehoboth Avenue roots

Restauranting is one of the most relentless businesses you can get yourself into. But to some, it just comes naturally. One of those people is local resident and restaurateur, Leonardo Cabrera. Leo’s family moved to Delaware from Mexico City when he was very young. He earned his associate’s degree in biotechnology from Delaware Tech and completed an internship in marine studies. Though English is his second language (you’d never know it), young Leo excelled in chemistry and molecular biology – so much so that he earned his bachelor’s degree in cellular/molecular biology from Salisbury University, and eventually his master’s in applied biology.

But in spite of all that study and devotion to science, Leo loved to eat food as much as he loved to cook it. As his cheffing skills expanded, so did his waistline. When he topped 250 pounds, his knowledge of body chemistry helped him deal with his ever-widening shadow. He took fitness classes and applied his logical disposition to exercise and healthy eating. It worked, and he eventually earned his teaching certification in several exercise disciplines, none the least of which the well-known RPM cycling program.

Leo ended up as a server at an upscale tapas bar in Washington, D.C.’s Chinatown. That’s where he met Gladys Fernandez, now the proprietor of Cilantro restaurant on Rehoboth Avenue. Though discussions regarding a partnership never came to fruition, Leo continued to hone his food-service skills at Crystal, La Tonalteca, the old Cloud 9 (now Lula Brazil) and the Steele family’s Lamp Post restaurant (now Crabby Dick’s). While in school, he worked for his friend Yolanda Pineda at Mariachi restaurant on Wilmington Avenue, slowly coming to the realization that most jobs for which he was degree-qualified involved research. “Research wasn’t for me,” Leo says. “I’m an ‘all over the place’ kind of guy, and most of my friends were in the restaurant business.” He confided to Yolanda that he needed to go out on his own, and on a cold mid-December day he walked in to 62A Rehoboth Avenue, just east of First Street Station. He saw the cooking equipment and the big stainless steel hood. “I knew the place was mine.”

Leo grew the tiny, lime-green Modern Mixture into a go-to spot for healthy and not-quite-so-healthy eaters alike. The menu says it all, with endless salads (some with crunchy nopalitos), overstuffed burritos, flautas, quesadillas, house-made tamales, Cuban sandwiches and delicious cocktails with fresh herbs and spices.

He recently closed his second location, Modern Mixture Too in Milton. In spite of its phenomenal success, he confided, “I can’t be in two places at once. And I’m not happy unless I’m near my guests.” The young chef marked his permanent return to Rehoboth Beach by personalizing his restaurant: It’s now Leo’s Modern Mixture. The new menu leans a bit more in the Mexican direction, with new items like Tampiquena Steak, baby back ribs (with salsa verde!) and tempura tacos just waiting to be tried by his loyal followers. Creative cocktails continue to be available at the cozy bar (craft lovers take note: New Belgium Fat Tire is on draft!). A remodel is already on paper and will take place after the 2016 season subsides.

You can see how it would take a master’s-level molecular biologist, a certified exercise instructor and a seasoned restaurateur to conjure up a menu that keeps everybody happy, from vegans to vegetarians to carnivores and omnivores.  Leo’s thoroughly Modern Mixture – now branded with his name - delivers on that promise with cool and crispy salads,  a variety of hand-made tamales, creative quesadillas, burritos, tortas, tasty falafel – and even fried mac ‘n’ cheese, if comfort is your objective.

Don’t blink or you’ll miss it. Look for the orange awning just a few steps east of First Street Station on Rehoboth Avenue next to Rehoboth Toy & Kite Company. Venture inside and say hi to Leo Cabrera. His smile – and cooking – will win you over.