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." To her credit, Longoria does also allude to the Frito Lay scientists who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in a lab, but at least in this case, there is nothing inspiring about the truth (unless you are an aspiring Frito Lay lab scientist).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. But the big swings befit the story that is essentially a tall tale, and in her first feature directing effort, Longoria proves to be an immensely adept and funny storyteller. The writing is occasionally clunky, and there is nothing subtle about Longoria’s direction. Whatever the truth, it’s refreshing to watch a movie about an entrepreneur who is not white, did not invent an app, end up in prison, or resign in disgrace. The film is based on Montañez’s disputed claim from his memoir A Boy, a Burrito, and a Cookie: From Janitor to Executive that he invented the line of spicy snacks (Frito Lay denies the account although they agree that he did rise from janitor to marketing executive - the Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, reports that the Montañez story is urban legend). He and his wife spend months on recipes, and Montañez manages to land a phone call with the CEO (played hilariously and lovingly by Tony Shalhoub), who puts a plan to market the snacks to Hispanic communities into motion. As the lean years continue, Montañez comes up with a plan to save his factory: Spicy Cheetos. Thanks to his efforts, Montañez manages to avoid layoffs over the next decade even as the white doofuses in management overlook most of his contributions. He lands a job as a janitor at Frito Lay where he endeavors to learn as much as he can, particularly from a machinist named Clarence (Dennis Haysbert). When his wife Judy (Annie Gonzalez in adorable, full protector mode) gets pregnant, Montañez is determined to go straight for his family. He comes from an abusive home, has a troubled upbringing, and does stints in gangs selling drugs. Montañez is played terrifically by Jesse Garcia ( Quinceañera). Eva Longoria makes her directorial debut with Flamin’ Hot, the funny, heartfelt, and crowd-pleasing story of Richard Montañez, the Mexican American janitor purportedly responsible not only for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos but the spicy snack revolution and for being a pioneer in marketing by targeting Hispanic consumers. The film, which debuts on Hulu today, is well suited to the streamer, where I suspect it will draw decent numbers, but it’s a shame that more people will not be able to appreciate it in a huge crowd who laugh at all the right moments and occasionally get choked up at a film with a big heart worn firmly on the sleeve.
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