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Daniel Vasquez flips a mean burrito bowl. And now the whole world knows.

Since his bosses at Chipotle posted a video to their Instagram account of Vasquez looking effortlessly cool while impressively flipping a burrito bowl at the Frederick location on Patrick Street, the 18-year-old has become an internet sensation. Over the past five days, the video has been viewed nearly 640,000 times and received nearly 2,000 likes.

ā€œI had no idea it was going to be as big as it was going to be,ā€ says Vasquez, who seems happily nonplussed by his unexpected fame.

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Vasquez says he learned his technique, which involves a nonchalant flip, twist and seal, all without spilling so much as a smidgen of lettuce, bean or whatever else one gets in a burrito bowl, from a co-worker at a different eatery.

ā€œHe would do it so casually, and I was, like, ā€˜Yeah, that’s so cool.’ And then, after he left, I was just trying it on my own,ā€ Vasquez says. ā€œEventually, I got it down — it wasn’t too hard.

ā€œNo one thought it was a big deal,ā€ he says. ā€œI would just do it.ā€ Such nonchalance, of course, is the essence of cool.

Awhile ago, however, two guys came in, Vasquez says, and were seriously impressed. ā€œThey were like, ā€˜Whoa, that’s so cool.’ Most people just give me a compliment, but these guys wanted to record it.ā€

Soon, the corporate folks at Chipotle got a look, and asked if he’d mind if they put it out there on Instagram. He said sure, and as Vasquez puts it, ā€œthe rest is history.ā€

Vasquez, who’s studying audio production at Frederick Community College, says people keep asking him how it feels to be famous. He’s not really sure how to answer them.

ā€œIt doesn’t feel like I’m famous,ā€ he says with a laugh. ā€œIt just feels funny that something I did that I don’t even think about that often has become so popular.ā€

ckaltenbach@baltsun.com

twitter.com/chriskaltsun

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