In addition to its selection of Flamin’ Hot entrees, El Mezcal is also known for milkshakes with Mexican-inspired flavors. It’s especially popular with youth from schools in the surrounding area, whom Sepulvera acknowledges as being largely responsible for his business’s success. With the help of Instagram and TikTok, the Hot Cheetos burrito has helped the neighborhood taqueria stay afloat amid a series of nearby closures. He credits a trip to San Diego as his muse and is happy that the Hot Cheetos burrito has brought in new waves of customers-most of them between the ages of 12 to 35, he says-to consume what is now the most popular dish on the menu. Sepulvera is not the original Da Vinci of this masterpiece, though. The flavorful burrito’s creativity has attracted praise from Chester Cheetah’s official Instagram account-and, according to Sepulvera, even got the nod of approval from Montañez himself. The teenager in me could’ve eaten a few-they’re smaller than you might expect-but my adult stomach reached capacity after one order with a side of tortilla chips and a Jarritos. As I munched on one of these burritos, the trademark taste of the Hot Cheetos was overpowered by the meat and nacho cheese, but I was left with a satisfyingly soft crunch in between each bite. Sepulvera started pouring bags of the neon snacks inside burritos, along with carne asada, gooey nacho cheese and french fries. That’s when Sepulvera decided to access the bursting mine of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. In Sepulvera’s case, he needed a menu item to attract more customers to his business during the pandemic slowdown. Similar to Montañez, Sepulvera is of Mexican heritage, with roots in Jalisco, and has worked his way into a successful position after an entry-level start. As I sat inside the San Pablo location of the taco chain-which Sepulvera originally opened in San Lorenzo in 2008-I ate a Hot Cheetos burrito and listened to him tell me about the inspiration for his own creation. Maybe that’s why Jesús Sepulvera, the owner of Taqueria El Mezcal, recited Montañez’s story to me when we met. The small East Bay chain also has locations in Hayward and San Lorenzo. Taqueria El Mezcal’s San Pablo location is especially popular among high schoolers. All I know is that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are devoutly beloved and have been a legitimate source of sustenance at any house party or after-school hangout, especially for Mexican Americans like me. I’m not here to defend, deny or corroborate any of Montañez’s spicy revelations. It’s a hot topic that has yet to be fully resolved. This set off a chain of events in which internet sleuths, community advocates and foodies defended Montañez, declaring that his erasure was an act of racism-pressure that led Frito-Lay to backtrack while still not crediting Montañez as the snack’s sole inventor. It’s a lovable narrative that Frito-Lay never denied… until 2021, when the company declared it had no record of Montañez’s involvement with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. As Montañez tells the story, he came up with his legendary creation one day when he took home a bunch of regularly-flavored Cheetos bags from his workplace after a vending machine broke, then seasoned them with spices reminiscent of Mexican street corn. In what has since become a publicly disputed firestorm -creating a rift in the Latinx community-Montañez states that he first pitched Frito-Lay’s executives on the idea of “Hispanic branding” as part of their “method-improvement program” decades ago. He documents how he went on to become the Vice President of Multicultural Sales and Community Promotions for PepsiCo, with a net worth of $10 million. He’s the man who famously claims to have invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.Ī former janitor whose parents worked in a migrant labor camp, Montañez has authored two books, including his latest memoir, Flamin’ Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man’s Rise from Janitor to Top Executive. So how did this junk food with dubious origins reach the top of our cultural food pyramid? You can thank Richard Montañez. But even then, I always go back for the sting. Over my lifetime, I’ve accidentally stained countless white tees and fitted caps with red powder-or worse, I’ve mistakenly rubbed my eyes with the spicy residue that lingers uncomfortably long, like too much chile on an unprepared tongue. Yet when the rest of us not named Bad Bunny touch anything with our red hands, we don’t change the world instead, we just leave hard-to-remove splotches. The commercial is a tantalizing promise that Frito-Lay has been enticing customers with since first launching their brand in the summer of 1990: that Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are more than a red-fingered trend they’re a lifestyle.
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