The Food That Built America

E01

Episode 1

Pizza Power Play

2026-04-19 · 42m

Two pizza juggernauts expand their empires as a hungry new contender turns the fight into a three-way race to become America’s biggest pizza chain.

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E02

Episode 2

Cereal Killers

2026-04-26 · 42m

Rival cereal giants race to invent the next must-have bowl, sparking a sugary arms race of mascots, crunch, candy, and the first ever chocolate cereal.

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E03

Episode 3

The Birth of Bubblegum

2026-05-03 · 42m

A struggling candy maker’s botched experiment leads to the world’s first bubble gum, its distinctive color, and a decades-long bubble gum war fueled by colorful mascots, comic strips, baseball cards, and novelty flavors — transforming gum into a pop culture.

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E04

Episode 4

Drive-Thru Burger Revolution

2026-05-10 · 42m

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.

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E05

Episode 5

Chocolate in a Glass

2026-05-17 · 42m

A chemist unlocks a chocolate syrup that transforms milk into a magic sensation, a scrappy soda shop owner cracks the code to bottling liquid chocolate for the masses, and a dairy innovator turns wartime surplus into instant cocoa gold.

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E06

Episode 6

Clash of the Cookie Giants

2026-05-31 · 43m

A century ago, the cookie industry didn't exist, until a wave of innovators turn it into a $15 billion powerhouse.

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E07

Episode 7

Cheesecake Chronicles

2026-06-07 · 42m

A struggling cheesemaker, a New York restauranteur, 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.

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E08

Episode 8

Rice to Riches

2026-06-14 · 42m

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.

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E09

Episode 9

Burgers, Burritos, & the Battle for Fast Food

2026-06-21 · 42m

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.

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E10

Episode 10

Icons of Ice Cream

2026-06-28 · 41m

From the first ice cream bar in history, to the invention of classic flavors, a century of bold innovators transforms ice cream from a rare indulgence into a $100 billion American powerhouse.

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E11

Episode 11

Spilling the Tea

2026-07-05 · 42m

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.

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E12

Episode 12

Let's Get Crackering

2026-07-12 · 42m

As two baking powerhouses collide, scrappy upstarts and mom-and-pop players help turn crackers into a snack aisle staple.

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E13

Episode 13

Cereal Sensations

2026-07-19

Cereal pioneers battle for control of America's breakfast table.

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E14

Episode 14

Say Yes to the Dressing

2026-07-26

Richard Hellmann deli's mayonnaise launches America's condiment revolution.

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