![]() In "Flamin' Hot," PepsiCo CEO Roger Enrico (Tony Shalhoub) presents Richard Montañez with his own office in the Frito-Lay factory, complete with a door plaque that reads: "Richard Montañez, Director of Multicultural Marketing."Īt the end of the movie, Enrico presents Montañez with his own office, complete with a plaque on the door that reads: "Richard Montañez, Director of Multicultural Marketing." Heroes are 'never brown, never Chicano': Why Eva Longoria embraced the story of 'Flamin' Hot' Did Frito-Lay factory workers clap when Richard Montañez was promoted? This moment was a "turning point in Richard's life." Montañez "had guns in the car, he had warrants for his arrest, he was dealing drugs, he had drugs, and the judge looked at him and said, 'I think you can do better … prove to me you can do better,' " Longoria says. During a court hearing, a judge lets him go. Montañez and his pregnant wife are seen being pulled over for being in possession of a stolen car, and it lands him in jail. Did a judge really let Richard Montañez off the hook after he had been arrested? In an interview with CNBC published in 2018, Montañez said the idea was born when a machine broke in the assembly line and a batch of Cheetos didn't get dusted with orange cheese powder. "He would take them home, test on it, and the next day, he would take some Doritos … they knew he was doing it." "He would just put them in a trash bag," Longoria says. The film shows an eager Montañez taking home unseasoned Cheetos and other Frito-Lay chips for taste tests. Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) and his two sons, Lucky and Steven (Hunter Jones, left, and Brice Gonzalez), eat spicy corn on the cob at the park before the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos was sparked. He proceeds to scour grocery stores for spices for the perfect red powder recipe. In the movie, inspiration strikes while Montañez is eating Mexican street corn with his sons. The movie is about Richard Montañez." Did Richard Montañez really take Cheetos home to test spices on them? His story is complex and inspiring and motivating. "I've always been committed to telling Richard’s story. "I never wanted to tell the history of the Flamin' Hot Cheeto," Longoria tells USA TODAY. The film's director has been firm in saying "everything really happened." We are grateful to him for that, and hope people enjoy the film." What has Eva Longoria said about the Hot Cheetos controversy? His contributions to Frito-Lay are highlighted throughout the film, specifically his insights and ideas on how to better serve Hispanic consumers and engage the Hispanic community, a legacy PepsiCo continues today. The film is "Montañez's story, told from his point of view. In a statement to USA TODAY in June, Frito-Lay seemingly backtracked on what it said in 2021. "They couldn't get the flavor right and they didn't know how to market it. "In the movie, we even touched on it, where they were developing a hot chip, but it wasn't quite working," Garcia said in an interview with Variety. ![]() Steven (Brice Gonzalez, from left), Judy (Annie Gonzalez), Richard (Jesse Garcia) and Lucky (Hunter Jones) taste test the homemade spicy Cheeto recipe in "Flamin' Hot." "This film, like much of my life, is a dream come true." So who did invent Flamin' Hot Cheetos? "The film does a great job of capturing my journey, from being a janitor to achieving the American Dream," he says. Montañez told USA TODAY in June he was "forever thankful" to the leaders that "recognized my potential and paved the way for my journey" at Frito-Lay and PepsiCo. "That doesn't mean we don't celebrate Richard but the facts do not support the urban legend." "None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin' Hot test market," Frito-Lay told the news outlet in a statement. In 2021, the Los Angeles Times published an investigation discrediting him as the flavor's sole creator. The movie is based on Montañez's 2013 memoir "A Boy, A Burrito and A Cookie: From Janitor to Executive," and follows his rise from former gang member to Flamin' Hot Cheeto inventor.īut Montañez's claims have been the source of flaming hot arguments. Why is the 'Flamin' Hot' movie controversial? ![]() He has since published two memoirs and built a lucrative career out of speaking engagements where he retells his story. In 2019, during an internal investigation into claims he created Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Montañez retired from PepsiCo. In 1977, he was promoted to machinist operator. The real Judy and Richard Montañez attend the screening of Eva Longoria's "Flamin' Hot" in Los Angeles on June 2.īorn to a Mexican American family, Montañez grew up in a migrant labor camp outside of Los Angeles.Īfter dropping out of high school, he was hired by Frito-Lay in 1976 as a janitor in the company's Rancho Cucamonga factory when he was 18.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |