The Food That Built America

6 seasons available

The stories of the families behind the food that built America, those who used brains, muscle, blood, sweat and tears to get to America's heart through its stomach, those who invented new technologies and helped win wars.

Tortilla Takeover

S6 E1

Bold visionaries risk bringing Mexican food to Americans, creating the top-selling condiment, famous snack chip brands and pairing chips and salsa.

Movie Theater Munchies

S6 E2

A struggling chocolate maker and a young theater assistant create the movie theater concession stand and launch the world's most iconic movie candies.

Baking Chocolate Chip History

S6 E3

A teacher turns restaurateur invents America's popular cookie which leads to a battle of food giants, and one of the packaged cookies.

Empire of Convenience

S6 E4

The first convenience store is born; with innovations like late hours, to-go coffee and America's beloved slushy drink, it rises into a chain with more locations than any other store or restaurant in the world.

Legends of the Mall

S6 E5

Early American malls had no food court, until a cinnamon bun, a pretzel, and a panda all move in to create three of the world's most iconic food brands and transform the American Mall.

Coffee: A Brewed Awakening

S6 E6

Jim Folger discovers a new way to bring coffee to the masses; then another famous coffee brand gets its big break at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville; the creation of then coffee machines that help make coffee a billion-dollar industry.

A Box of Chocolates

S6 E7

Stephen Whitman introduces Americans to chocolate candy in a sampler box; Russell Stover builds a competing company; both brands help turn chocolate from an unknown import to a boxed American staple, given as a gift of love to this day.

Beer Necessities

S6 E8

A German immigrant looks to revolutionize the American beer industry when he's handed a struggling brewery; his signature beer will go on to amass sales of over 11 billion dollars a year.

Asian Food Invasion

S6 E9

A down-on-his-luck Japanese businessman and a Chinese immigrant and her son change the American palette when they introduce instant noodles in a cup, Peking Duck, and a big Chinese restaurant chain in the nation.

You Don't Know Jack

S6 E10

A farmhand named Jack Daniel and a distiller in Tennessee look to bring their quality bootleg whiskey out of the shadows into a larger market; a new recipe and Daniel's revolutionary branding tactics pave the way for an American whiskey.

All American Marinara

S5 E1

Food conglomerate Campbell's kickstarts what will become an Italian American food revolution, launching SpaghettiOs and then Prego and along the way, transforming everything from home cooking to casual dining.

Ice Cream Revolution

S5 E2

A cab driver turned ice cream entrepreneur comes up with the idea to mix name brand candy into high-quality ice cream to create new novel flavors; after opening an ice cream shop to share his mix-in creations, his concept skyrockets.

Soda Rising: Birth of Pop

S5 E3

In the late 1800s, two pharmacists 1500 miles apart race to create healthy, non-alcoholic beverage options, kickstarting the entire soda industry with their breakout hits: Hires Root Beer and Dr. Pepper.

Sunshine in a Glass

S5 E4

A scientist and businessman team up to develop a Vitamin C-rich war ration for WWII troopers, leading to orange juice concentrate; a fruit salesman develops a process of flash-pasteurizing fresh orange juice; the two companies soon compete.

Let Them Bake Cake

S5 E5

During the mid-20th century, two unlikely characters find themselves in competition to simplify the lives of homemakers across the country by creating a tasty but easy boxed cake-mix; America's sweetheart and the original foodie go head-to-head.

Penny Candy Craze

S5 E6

In the early 1900s, an underestimated confectioner creates the first wrapped penny candy, the Tootsie Roll; an unemployed salesman transforms medicinal hard candy into a fruit flavored, multipack designed purely for fun with Tropical Charms.

Champions of Breakfast

S5 E7

Will Kellogg is on top of the cereal industry after beating out post, but now, the king of cereal has met his match with a young flour mill executive; a decades long war for dominance ensues as Kellogg's and General Mills battle it out.

Planet Mars

S5 E8

After being kicked out of the family business by his father, Forrest Mars scratches and claws his way back to create a multi-sector global empire, Mars Inc.; today, that empire is worth over 47 billion dollars and a family dynasty.

Lunchbox Legends

S5 E9

Lunchtime is one of the most enjoyable meals of every kid's day, but before the 1960s it was just another meal; then, three very different food visionaries take matters into their own hands.

The Colonel

S5 E10

Kentucky gas station owner, Harland Sanders, develops a new method for making fried chicken, drawing customers from far and wide.

Citrus Soda Stars

S5 E11

A small-time St. Louis soda maker, Charles Leiper Grigg, takes on Coke and Pepsi by introducing a clear, lemon-lime soda he calls 7-Up; at the same time, two brothers in Tennessee, Ali and Barney Hartman, have their own, called Mountain Dew.

Burger Empire: The Ray Kroc Story

S5 E12

In the 1950s, middle-aged salesman Ray Kroc is drowning in debt when he's inspired by a roadside burger stand he wants to spread nationwide, McDonald's; he creates the modern model of franchising and ignites a fast-food gold rush.

Breakfast That Pops

S4 E1

Two heavy-hitting cereal rivals duke it out for breakfast dominance; competition heats up when an idea is stolen; the ensuing battle transforms the breakfast landscape from a labor intensive meal at the table, to a meal of convenience on the go.

Holiday Treats

S4 E2

The top-selling candy days of the year revolve around Easter, Valentine's Day and Halloween, and it all started with a few bold pioneers.

Flight of the Buffalo Wing

S4 E3

As new wing-focused restaurant chains take the recipe out of Buffalo, N.Y., restaurateurs must find a way to cleverly market the new "Buffalo wings" to turn their restaurants into national icons, and chicken wings into a global phenomenon.

Candy Revolution

S4 E4

A cereal executive's bold idea to finance the "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie will kick-off a candy revolution that produces some of the most iconic, imaginative confections in history.

Clash of the Coffee

S4 E5

Two icons compete for America's coffee drinkers and forever change a worldwide, multi-billion-dollar industry.

The Chicken Coup

S4 E6

Eventually challenging America's burger joint heavyweights, two future fast-food kingpins find themselves on a collision course in an all-out chicken sandwich war that is still raging to this day.

Thanksgiving Dinner

S4 E7

A look at some staples of Thanksgiving dinner that weren't around until a few brands used technological advances to reinvent turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and more; food innovators made each part of the meal accessible.

When Food Freezes Over

S4 E8

Four intrepid food entrepreneurs race to harness emerging technologies, like the home freezer and microwave, to bring revolutionary frozen snack icons to a waiting world, and forever change everything about eating.

Peanut Butter Battle

S4 E9

When an entrepreneur creates shelf-stable peanut butter out of his garage, it leads to the birth of an iconic sandwich; as competition heats up to be America's favorite peanut butter, three famous brands battle it out to be number one.

American Spirits

S4 E10

Two entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of Prohibition by staking everything on two liquors -- a bitter, bottom-shelf whisky, and a flavorless foreign moonshine -- and go on to save an industry and create two of the most popular brands in the country.

Where There's Smoke

S4 E11

A century ago, most backyard grilling essentials were not yet invented; Henry Ford, a tinkerer named Kingsford, and a passionate butcher created recognizable summer brands and changed the face of American backyards.

Thirst Quenchers

S4 E12

Before juice was everywhere, these innovators used brilliant ingenuity to create the most nostalgic drink products and thirst quenchers of the last century, leading the charge on a new billion dollar beverage industry.

Supermarket Sweep

S4 E13

At the turn of the 20th century, Bernard Kroger and another upstart grocer come up with genius innovations that help invent the modern supermarket.

Bring Home the Bacon

S4 E14

A young upstart named Oscar® Mayer creates one of the most iconic meat brands on the planet; pioneer Jay Hormel invents a meat product sold the world over, which becomes part of a $20 billion food empire.

Dog Eat Dog

S4 E15

At a time when dog food is a rarity and cat food is almost nonexistent, it will take visionary innovators to invent the first dog treat, dry food, the first cat food, and many more innovations that will carve out the billion-dollar pet food industry.

Beer Run

S4 E16

At a time when U.S. beer is dominated by the same lager style, one Milwaukee company experiments with something new.

Submarine Warfare

S3 E1

High school friends see an alternative to fast food with the "submarine" sandwich, but they are quickly met with fierce competition from a new submarine joint that will go on to be the biggest restaurant chain in the world.

A Cold One

S3 E2

In the late 1800s, German immigrants Joseph Schlitz and Capt. Frederick Pabst find themselves in a battle for beer dominance; in their fight for one-upmanship, they create the most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet.

Do or Donut

S3 E3

When a commercial caterer realizes his two bestselling items are donuts and coffee, he joins forces with his brother-in-law to create a revolutionary donut chain; a rivalry starts with a beloved Southern-based donut shop.

A Dish Best Served... Soft

S3 E4

When his ice cream truck breaks down, Tom Carvel discovers that half-melted ice cream is a surefire hit with customers.

The Best Thing Since...

S3 E5

In a quest to dominate the growing commercial bread industry, Lee Marshall bets on a new kind of white loaf, unwittingly inspiring a homemaker named Margaret Rudkin to come up with a healthier alternative.

Cookie Fortunes

S3 E6

Hollywood agent Wally Amos transforms his professional life when he decides to make and sell his own gourmet chocolate chip cookies, and opens America's first cookie store; housewife Debbi Fields opens her homestyle cookie shop in a mall.

The Beef Is On

S3 E7

When Col. Sanders sells his company to investors in 1964, the new owners identify a rising star within the organization: Dave Thomas.

Pop Stars

S3 E8

Small-town farmer Orville Redenbacher has a lifelong dream of creating the perfect popcorn kernel, leading to the first significant development of popcorn in thousands of years, which he sells nationwide.

Beyond the Burger

S3 E9

Restaurateur Glen Bell works to create a burger alternative for the fast-food market and after several setbacks goes on to help introduce the taco to America; two brothers look to beat the burger by betting that a roast beef sandwich can compete.

Chain Reaction

S3 E10

Former wrestler Rocky Aoki and a perfume salesman become the unlikely fathers of a casual dining revolution when they open different establishments in the heart of New York City: one of America's first Japanese restaurants and a swinging singles bar.

Let Them Eat Snack Cakes

S3 E11

Martha Entenmann takes the reins of her late husband's baking company and grows it into a national powerhouse; a married couple bankrupt one bakery but succeed during their second time around with a revolutionary way to sell snack cakes.

Pasta Party

S3 E12

Hector and Mario Boiardi open an Italian restaurant in Cleveland in 1924 and soon introduce Italian food to Americans; the brothers eventually find themselves in competition with James Kraft and his newest offering, macaroni and cheese.

Pizza Wars

S2 E1

In the 1950's, two brothers from Wichita, Kan., aim to build their restaurant, Pizza Hut, by introducing America to Italian dish-pizza; Americans soon fall in love with their pizza, but rival, Domino's, threatens to derail their success.

The Chocolate Rush

S2 E2

In 1919, Milton Hershey is king of the chocolate, but everything changes when sugar prices drop in the new post-WWI era; competitors spring up, including Hershey's former employee HB Reese, who goes on to create one of the bestselling candies ever.

The Kings of Burgers

S2 E3

In the 1950s, Ray Kroc franchises McDonald's nationwide, but right behind Kroc, a wave of other entrepreneurs tries to cash in on the fast food restaurant craze; two Florida visionaries start up what will become Kroc's biggest rival.

American Cheese

S2 E4

At the turn of the 20th century, James Kraft challenges thousands of years of cheese-making tradition and forever alters the dairy industry with his new cheese innovation; the Pabst brothers are desperate to keep their successful beer empire solvent.

Cola Wars

S2 E5

In the 1970s, one major cola brand launches a blind taste-test marketing plan that takes direct aim at their biggest competitor.

Chip Dynasties

S2 E6

Herman Lay takes regional and small-time chips business to a national scale with his cutting-edge sales techniques and world-changing packaging technology, while a rival innovator invents a new kind of snack chip that will challenge Lay's crown.

Cookie Wars

S2 E7

A business partnership gone wrong leads Adolphus Green to create one of the most iconic cookie and cracker companies in history, and it revolutionizes packaging.

Soup of the Century

S2 E8

When a chemist begins working at the Joseph A. Campbell preserve company, he invents a condensed soup that brings this rare luxury to the nation for the first time. it also attracts the attention of Henry Heinz, who becomes a bitter competitor.

Godfathers of Fast Food

S2 E9

A short order chef invents the hamburger bun and engineers a new way of making a burger faster than ever before; Nathan Handwerker invests his life savings into a hot dog stand at Coney Island.

The TV Dinner

S2 E10

Gilbert Swanson inherits his father's frozen turkey company and partners with a food chemist to innovate a revolutionary dinner that Americans can heat up at home.

Ice Cream Empires

S2 E11

A young boy accidentally discovers a frozen treat on a stick; a candy store owner reinvents ice cream and launches the first ever ice cream truck; when two men own a patent on the same thing, a battle erupts.

A Game of Chicken

S2 E12

In the 1970s, Ray Kroc is far ahead of the competition, but when a burger chain claiming to be king, poaches his third-highest ranking executive, Don Smith, it's war.

When the Chips Are Down

S2 E13

As C.E. Doolin and Herman Lay try to control the chips business in the 1950s, their success inspires one of the biggest companies in the world to design a strong, saddle-shaped chip and a revolutionary container to ship them in.

The Rise of a Rival

S2 E14

Candy company president Charles Guth gets shafted by a Cola salesman. He decides to buy a bankrupt rival company and go to war with the supplier who wronged him and its new CEO, the maverick businessman Robert Woodruff. The battle will help shape the world of soda for decades to come.

Gum Slingers

S2 E15

William Wrigley stumbles upon a new product that kickstarts a revolution across industries and sparks a lifelong rivalry.

Breakfast Barons

S2 E16

Dr. John Kellogg and his brother start a revolution in breakfast, while rival C.W. Post takes direct aim at an empire of his own.

The Spoils of War

S2 E17

WWII sees competing industrial empires joining the war effort in a united front to fuel the forces fighting for freedom abroad; in Post-War America, visionaries revolutionize the industry, and pave the way for the golden age of the American dream.

Lines in the Sand

S1 E1

In the wake of the Civil War, a revolution takes place on the backs of visionary entrepreneurs of industry like Heinz, Kellogg and Post; they push the limits of ingenuity to launch businesses that will revolutionize industry.

Best Served Cold

S1 E2

A new breed of innovator rises up to expand American industry and push the limits of new technology; a father-and-son duo named Mars start on a path to challenge the chocolate throne.