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Fuelled by the redder than red dust of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, a Frito-Lay janitor rose through the ranks to become a high-powered executive. So goes the against-all-odds story of Richard Montañez, self-proclaimed creator of the wildly popular spicy snack.
“The Godfather of Hispanic Marketing” has been telling this tale since 2007. About how, after working the graveyard janitor shift at the Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., he took home a bag full of plain Cheetos. Inspired by elote vendors, he used his wife Judy’s recipe for chili sauce to season them. “After an intense process of experimenting and testing” in his kitchen, Flamin’ Hot was born.