The Food That Built America

1Tortilla Takeover

Feb 23, 2025

Bold visionaries take big risks to bring Mexican food to all Americans, by creating the best-selling condiment on the planet, two of the most famous snack chip brands of all time and innovating the iconic pairing of chips and salsa.

2Movie Theatre Munchies

Mar 2, 2025

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

3Baking Chocolate Chip History

Mar 9, 2025

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

4Empire of Convenience

Mar 16, 2025

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

5Legends of the Mall

Mar 23, 2025

Early American malls have 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.

6Coffee: A Brewed Awakening

Mar 30, 2025

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. Plus, the creation of the iconic coffee machines that help make coffee a billion dollar industry.

7A Box of Chocolates

Apr 13, 2025

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

8Beer Necessities

Apr 20, 2025

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.

9Asian Food Invasion

Apr 27, 2025

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 the biggest Chinese restaurant chain in the nation.

10You Don't Know Jack

May 4, 2025

Jack Daniel, known for his determination and innovative spirit, teams up with a skilled distiller to create a new recipe that could change the whiskey game.