Open the bag of Cheetos and place the bag onto a flat surface. An industry news wire announced that Flamin Hot Popcorn did in fact hit shelves in March 1994, as an extension of the Flamin Hot line that Greenfeld and her colleagues had rolled out four years earlier. More than a dozen former employees, the archival record and Frito-Lay itself say otherwise. And also remember this, the best way to destroy a positive message is to destroy the messenger. The true origin story of Flamin Hot Cheetos, according to interviews with former Frito-Lay employees, records and the company itself, took place on mini-mart shelves and in corporate offices. The man who claimed to have invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos is finding himself in hot water this week after a new investigative report from the Los Angeles Times claims that he had no part in creating the popular snack. The record of Flamin Hot Cheetos first entering the market in 1990 points to an impossibility at the heart of Montaezs story all along. It turns out that casual observance might actually be a lot more accurate than one would think. Their first meme moment came in that same year, in a 2012 viral rap video, Hot Cheetos and Takis, a song written and performed by a group of kids as part of an after-school program in north Minneapolis. I came up with the Flamin Hot name on my own, Greenfeld replied. You see the warnings everywhere. Certain school districts in three states, California, Illinois, and New Mexico, have banned Flamin' Hot Cheetos, both because they aren't nutritious, and because they "may create a brain response similar to what is seen in individuals who are addicted to illicit substances.". What year did Flamin Hot Cheetos come out? - TeachersCollegesj They may even say you never existed, Montaez says to the camera. Chrissy Callahan covers a range of topics for TODAY.com, including fashion, beauty, pop culture and food. So what's the real story behind Flamin' Hot Cheetos? 2. Hours after initial publication of this story, Montaez posted a video to his Instagram account, addressed to all you young leaders., I dont care what room youre in, theres always somebody in the room thats going to try to steal your destiny. In Eva Longoria's new filmher feature . Montaez eventually convinced Frito-Lay to give his recipe a try, and the company began selling Hot Cheetos with Cheese in 1976. Regular cheetos have a uniform, curved, puffy texture, but crunchy Cheetos are another matter entirely. Furthermore, these snacks are said to have some significant nutritional benefits, as well as the ability to use chili powder. In the early 1970s, a man named Richard Montaez was working as a janitor at the Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, California. After Enrico moved to Frito-Lay and the motivational I Own the New Frito-Lay campaign rippled across the company, a single news clipping featuring Montaez provides a window into that moment in his career. Through his organization, he provides food, clothing, school supplies, and other assistance to the community. In 1976 Montaez was 18 he was hired as a janitor at a Frito-Lay plant in Rancho Cucamonga, California. When Enrico came in, he promoted Carey to oversee a new vending machine and warehouse division in early 1992, and then to division president of Frito-Lay West, based in the Bay Area, at the end of that year. The cheese-flavored snack sold quickly, but Doolin did not have the production or distribution capacity to support a nationwide launch. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times ; Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times). Im not trying to take credit; Im just trying to set the record straight.. Eating those foods can cause the body to release natural opiates endogenous opioids, or endorphins and the capsaicin in the chili used to season Flamin' Hot Cheetos can apparently maximize the opiate release when you eat them. Frito-Lays statement contradicted its former CEO. In the late 1980s, a Mexican American janitor at a factory in California came up with an idea for a new chip flavor: neon orange-dusted Cheetos with spicy sprinkles. "It is disappointing that 20 years later, someone who played no role in this project would begin to claim our experience as his own and then personally profit from it," she told the Times. TODAY Food reached out to Montaez's publisher to see if these new claims will affect the release of his latest book "Flamin' Hot: The Incredible True Story of One Man's Rise from Janitor to Top Executive," and Adrian Zackheim, president and publisher of Portfolio Books, said that the publishing house is excited to release the book as scheduled. He is best known for his disputed claim of having invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos . Cheetos, plain or hot, are a beloved snack in the U.S. Cheetos is the number one cheesy snack brand in America, and makes almost $1 billion a year. Invented in 1954 by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, nacho cheese is a type of processed cheese made from cheddar that is melted and mixed with spices. The teenager dropped out of high school after failing to improve his English. Yes, I'm talking about zesty magic that is Flamin' Hot Cheetosa chip that was allegedly invented by a Frito-Lay janitor in the '90s who was inspired by the Mexican elotes he ate growing up. Flamin Hot Cheetos are not only delicious, but they also provide some impressive benefits. He created his . Carey and Montaez appeared together soon after, at a June 2019 ceremony where Carey accepted a lifetime achievement award from the East Los Angeles Community Union.