Richard Montañez's claim of inventing Flamin' Hot Cheetos has been disputed. According to a Los Angeles Times report, Flamin' Hot Cheetos were invented by a team of food professionals led by Lynne Greenfeld in Frito-Lay's headquarters in Plano, Texas, to compete with spicy snacks sold in inner-city mini-marts in the Midwest. Frito-Lay told the Times, "None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin' Hot test market", but also stated, "Different work streams tackling the same product without interacting occasionally occurred in the past when divisions operated independently". Roger Enrico also did not become the CEO of Frito-Lay until 1991, after the product and brand had been developed. Enrico's secretary said that Montañez's phone call with Enrico took place in 1993 to pitch Flamin' Hot Popcorn, two years after Flamin' Hot Cheetos were introduced. Frito-Lay did confirm that Montañez pitched several successful snacks developed for Latino customers while working as a machine operator.
Richard Montanez: Appears during the montage of giving away bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. He wears a navy blue plaid shirt at a family picnic party.
Judy Montanez: Appears alongside her husband during the montage of giving away bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. She wears a white sleeveless blouse at a family picnic party.
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