![]() “We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market. “None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market,” Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to the L.A. In an investigative report released by the Los Angeles Times on Sunday (May 16), Frito-Lay called Montañez’s claims that he invented the spicy version of Cheetos false. ![]() Editor: Remington Korper.The story of how Richard Montañez, a former janitor working at Frito-Lay, invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and worked his way to the executive suite, is legendary, but now, Frito-Lay is saying it is all a big fraud. "Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive" by Richard Martinez (Portfolio), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available June 15 via Amazon and Indiebound."I never thought I'd have as much as I have now, so I'm very thankful," he told Cowan.Īnd there's a post-script: Actress Eva Longoria is set to direct an upcoming film about Montañez's life.Ī huckster, or a hero? One thing is clear: Richard Montañez is not about to apologize for what he thinks made him a flamin' hot success.Ĭowan asked, "Would you do it all over again?" His book detailing his achievements – minus the questions about them – is still being released next week. In the first of several statements to a hungry press, PepsiCo said, "We do not credit the product creation to him and him alone," but later stated, "We attribute the launch and success of Flamin' Hot Cheetos and other products to several people who worked at PepsiCo, including Richard Montañez." Not knowing (or perhaps not caring) about the consequences, Montañez said he cold-called the CEO of Frito Lay directly, a man named Roger Enrico. "I looked at it, I'm, like, 'Oh my God, that looks like a Cheeto!'" he said. But what to put those spices on? One day he saw a street vendor selling Elotes – corn sprinkled with chili powder. He was always thinking, mainly about ways to include people like him who loved traditional Mexican spices. I can go from the fields into the factories." Richard Montañez with correspondent Lee Cowan in the snack food aisle. If I got that job, I would be set for life. As poor as he was, he knew when he got his first job at Frito-Lay as a janitor, he better make it count: "It was my ticket. That said, it's not a debate that will crumble Western civilization – but there is something instructive about his story that many, especially in the Latino community, say is worth hearing.īefore the Cheeto dust hit the fan, Montañez took Cowan to his old neighborhood, on the other side of the tracks, as he puts it. Some members of the team that said it developed the recipe for Flamin' Hots are in fact flamin' hot mad at Montañez for taking credit. "What I had was what I had, so I don't know what you're talking about." ![]() He sat down to write a book about his career as the snack food's creator, "Flamin Hot."īut on the eve of its release, the Los Angeles Times published the results of a year-long investigation – yes, a reporter spent a year digging into Flamin' Hots! – which showed that the popular snack food we know today was more than likely developed at Frito-Lay's headquarters in Plano, Texas, not the humble kitchen of the Montañez family. ![]()
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