I know a lot of people who like it when their food makes them sweat. Spicy mustard, hot salsas, or my favorite, Cholula hot sauce. (Well, my favorite until we do a hot sauce episode. Then maybe still my favorite, it is pretty good.) Today we are trying out different hot chips and fries to see which one is the best!
Help us sustain our podcast and keep us trying foods like these!
Which hot chips are we trying today?
Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Takis Fuego
Dorito Dinamita Chile Limon
Chester’s Fries Flamin’ Hot
Takis Blue Heat
Andy Capp’s Hot Fries
Who is on this spicy quest?
Nate, completely nuts
Michael, Quest newbie
Matt, hurts on the inside
Amy, Michael’s big sister
And of course, our subscribers! Thanks to our small, yet coveted group. We appreciate the support. You too can join us on this food journey. All you need to do is… SUBSCRIBE!
The History of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Let’s talk Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. This is a scandalous story, filled with falsehoods and thievery.
Ask Richard Montanez who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and he will be the first to tell you it was him. For the last decade he has told the story of working as a janitor at Frit-Lay’s when he dreamed up the chile-covered Cheeto. He had such confidence in this chip, that he, a janitor, decided to call up the chief executive to pitch his idea. Even though people tried to sabotage him, even though he was told he was stepping out of bounds, he persisted and the Cheeto would become a huge success. Montanez has traveled, telling and selling his story at events for Target, Walmart, Harvard, and USC. His fee $10,000 to $50,000 per appearance. He has written two memoirs. A biopic, directed by Eva Longoria is supposed to be happening. This is truly a rags-to-riches story.
There is one big problem in the whole thing….
Montanez didn’t invent the Flamin’ Hot Cheeto. And this is according to interviews with more than a dozen former employees, archival records and Frito-Lay itself.
Flamin Hots were created by a team of professionals, starting in1989. A junior employee named Lynne Greenfeld got the assignment to develop the brand, and she came up with the Flamin’ Hot name and was essential in getting the line going.
By the time Montanez started taking credit for the intention in the late 2000’s, most of the original Flamin’ Hot team had retired. Those who remained just let the story spread, not really caring. It wasn’t until 2018, when Lynne Greenfeld herself contacted Montanez after seeing him take credit, which led the company to investigate. Their official statement…. “ We value Richard’s many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers, but we do not credit the creation of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or any Flamin’ Hot products to him.”
The Results
**SPOILER ALERT!**
Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!
6th Place: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Amy - 2
Matt - 4
Michael - 6
Nate - 3
5th Place: Doritos Dinamita Chile Limon
Amy - 4
Matt - 4
Michael - 6
Nate - 4
4th Place: Chester’s Fries Flamin’ Hot
Amy - 3
Matt - 5
Michael - 6
Nate - 5
3rd Place: Takis Fuego
Amy - 4
Matt - 5
Michael - 6
Nate - 6
2nd Place: Andy Capp’s Hot Fries
Amy - 4
Matt - 5
Michael - 10
Nate - 4
1st Place: Takis Blue Heat
Amy - 5
Matt - 6
Michael - 8
Nate - 7
There you have it. Takis Blue Heat receives the Quest for the Best seal of approval.
Check out their website to get some to try yourself!
https://barcel-usa.com/takis
Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Which is your favorite spicy chip or fry? We would love to know your rating!
Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.
And of course, remember to subscribe to hear the latest episodes. And chip in on the podcast! Whatever value you get out of this entertainment, send it back our way. We thank you for the support!
SHOW NOTES:
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez
Some like it HOT!