Cheetos are Hot!

Cheetos are Hot! originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Photo by Gary Moss.

Cheetos are Hot! originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine. Photo by Gary Moss.

An old snack food, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, is having a new culinary moment, and local food pros are making good on the trend.

In Port Hueneme, Carnitas El Brother (carnitaselbrother.com) dishes up the Hot Cheetos Taco: a handmade Flamin’ Hot Cheetos tortilla filled with carnitas and melted cheese and topped with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. “It has to be one of the most popular items on our menu,” says co-owner Maria Reyes.

In Santa Barbara and Goleta, Dave’s Dogs Grill (davesdogs805.com) uses the spicy crisps to enhance menu items like the Hot Cheetos & Cream Cheese hot dog.

Michoacanita Ice Cream Company (michoacanitaicecream.com) in Oxnard crumbles Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to make a coating for cobs of corn and to top its Flamin’ Eloté, Mexican street corn made with fresh-off-the-cob corn, mayonnaise, melted butter, cheese, and spices.

Click here to see this story as it originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of 805 Living Magazine.