The Food That Built America
Food will tell the unknown stories of innovation and rivalries behind food industry tycoons Milton Hershey, John and Will Kellogg, Henry Heinz, C.W. Post, the McDonald brothers and more.
Genre: Documentary, History
Cast:Campbell Scott , Adam Richman , Yohuru Williams , Libby O'Connell , Edward Moon , Mireya Loza , Carey Latimore , Vallery Lomas , Joanna Saltz , Sarah Wassberg Johnson , Bryant Simon , Alex Biestek , RZA , H.W. Brands , Bill Oakley , James Zeiss , Romi Kher , Glen Raphael
S2.E1 ∙ Pizza Wars
In the 1950's, two enterprising brothers from Wichita, Kansas aim to build their restaurant, Pizza Hut, into a franchise empire. Domino's, threatens to derail their first-of-its-kind pizza franchise juggernaut.
S2.E2 ∙ Chocolate Rush
In 1919, Milton Hershey is king of the chocolate business. But everything changes when in a Post WW1 sugar price drop, a rush of competitors spring up.
S2.E3 ∙ The Kings of Burgers
In the 1950s, Ray Kroc franchises McDonald's nationwide, but right behind Kroc a wave of other entrepreneurs try to cash in on the fast food restaurant craze. Two Florida visionaries start up what will become Kroc's biggest rival, by re-inventing their kitchen's equipment into the pioneering "flame broiler." Over the next two decades the two iconic restaurants battle it out over burgers, launching signature sandwiches that will become staples all over the world.
S2.E4 ∙ American Cheese
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. Meanwhile, the Pabst brothers are desperate to keep their successful beer empire solvent through Prohibition, and introduce a shelf-stable cheese of their own, putting them on a collision course with James Kraft's flourishing cheese juggernaut.
S2.E5 ∙ Cola Wars
In the 1970s, one major cola brand launches a blind taste test marketing plan that takes direct aim at their biggest competitor. As a new era of competition heats up between the behemoth brands, each side selects a new leader who takes the companies to battle in a rivalry that will birth countless iconic soda products and memorable marketing stunts.
S2.E6 ∙ Chip Dynasties
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.
S2.E7 ∙ Cookie Wars
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.
S2.E8 ∙ Soup of the Century
A chemist working at the Joseph A. Campbell preserve company invents a condensed soup, which attracts attention from Henry Heinz, who, becomes a competitor in a race for revolutionary innovation and nationwide soup sales dominance.
S2.E9 ∙ Godfathers of Fast Food
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.
S2.E10 ∙ The TV Dinner
Gilbert Swanson inherits his father's frozen turkey company and innovates the TV Dinner; And restaurateur Vernon Stouffer brings his frozen meals to market, while also harnesses sing a new technology called...the microwave.
S2.E11 ∙ Ice Cream Empires
A young boy accidentally discovers frozen treats on a stick, while a candy store owner radically re-invents ice cream and launches the first ever ice cream truck.
S2.E12 ∙ A Game of Chicken
In the 1970's, 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.
S2.E13 ∙ When the Chips Are Down
As C.E. Doolin and Herman Lay are out to prove the potential of the chips business in the 1950's, their success inspires one of the biggest companies in the world to enter the chip market. When a chemist begins work on a secret project, designing a strong, saddle-shaped chip and a revolutionary container to ship them in, the companies go head to head for market dominance.
S2.E14 ∙ The Rise of a Rival
The revolutionary early rise of Coca Cola and its greatest rival, Pepsi.
S2.E15 ∙ Gum Slingers
William Wrigley stumbles upon a new product that kickstarts a revolution across industries and sparks a lifelong rivalry.
S2.E16 ∙ Breakfast Barons
Reedited segment from the first episode about the private war between innovator Will Kellogg and ripoff artist C.W. Post that led to the creation of the breakfast cereal industry and redefined the concept of breakfast.
