Description
Original Airdate08/11/2019
Explore 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.
Moods
- Engaging
- Inspiring
The Food That Built America
Where to watch The Food That Built America
- Free On Demand on History
Cast & Crew
Campbell ScottNarrator Campbell ScottNarrator
Related To The Food That Built America
14. Say Yes to the Dressing
Air Date 07/26/2026
When German immigrant Richard Hellmann bottles his deli's mayonnaise, he launches America's condiment revolution; but the real battle begins when a struggling restaurateur invents Italian dressing to save his Kansas City eatery, going head-to-head with an industry giant, just as an Alaskan camp cook creates a humble buttermilk sauce destined to take the crown: ranch.
13. Cereal Sensations
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Through happy accidents and breakthrough flavor innovations, cereal pioneers battle for control of America's breakfast table-using iconic mascots, unforgettable commercials, and bold new ideas to build a billion-dollar industry.
12. Let's Get Cracker-ing
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As two baking powerhouses collide, scrappy upstarts and mom-and-pop players help turn crackers into a snack aisle staple; from innovations like shredded wheat, to the first mass-produced flavored cracker, these grocery store icons transform crackers into a global, multi-billion-dollar category.
11. Spilling the Tea
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A beverage giant is challenged for dominance by two upstart companies from Brooklyn to revolutionize the beverage market and transform iced tea from a regional drink to a multi-billion-dollar American staple.
10. Icons of Ice Cream
Air Date 06/28/2026
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9. Burgers, Burritos, & the Battle for Fast Food
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An upstart chain innovates iconic menu items and fast food staples including a value menu and free refills, while fending off a new competitor to bring Mexican-inspired fast food to the masses, until the world's top burger chain enters the fray and turns fast food on its head.
8. Rice to Riches
Air Date 06/14/2026
A keen-eyed immigrant, a candy mogul, and two pasta-making brothers reinvent rice for America's kitchens by making it faster, easier and impossible to resist, but it'll take a massive global conflict, and a battle of innovations, to turn rice into riches.
7. Cheesecake Chronicles
Air Date 06/07/2026
Through a series of accidents and unexpected innovations, a struggling cheesemaker, a New York restaurateur, a small-time baker, and a determined mother-son duo transform a humble cheese pie into a decadent American dessert--turning cheesecake into a grocery staple and the star of a restaurant empire.
6. Clash of the Cookie Giants
Air Date 05/31/2026
A century ago, the cookie industry didn't exist, until a wave of innovators turns it into a $15 billion powerhouse; from the first sandwich cookie to the invention of chocolate chips, the rise of packaged cookies, and "homemade" chain staples, each breakthrough fuels the battle for America's favorite circular sweet.
5. Chocolate in a Glass
Air Date 05/17/2026
A chemist unlocks a chocolate syrup that transforms milk into a magic sensation; a soda shop owner cracks the code to bottling liquid chocolate for the masses; and a dairy innovator turns wartime surplus into instant cocoa gold, launching a chocolate drink revolution that sweeps America.
4. Drive-Thru Burger Revolution
Air Date 05/10/2026
Three burger operators race to serve a new generation on wheels, and a primitive intercom and sliding window evolve into the drive-thru, revolutionizing fast food and kicking off an industry arms race.
3. The Birth of Bubblegum
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Two pizza juggernauts expand their empires as a new contender turns the fight into a three-way race to become America's big pizza chain; they push the limits with promotions, creations and inventive sides, only to discover a fourth chain charging onto the battlefield.