The Food That Built America Snack Sized — Season 1
About this season
Delving even deeper into the stories behind the ruthless innovators and entrepreneurs featured in The Food that Built America, this docuseries spotlights the rest of the story you didn’t know, telling the super-charged, bite-sized history of all of the foods you love in 30 minutes or less.
Episodes (14)
1. The Classic
Aired 18 April 2021 • 18 min
This is the epic story behind the most iconic soft drink in the world, and the incredible lengths its creators took to stay on top.
2. Special Delivery
Aired 18 April 2021 • 18 min
Complete with drones, muscle cars, and a whole lot of dough, this is the story of the most successful pizza chain on the planet, starting with mid-Western brothers who had never made pizza before, and continuing through a series of innovations that changed restaurants, dining out, and helped introduce pizza to the nation.
3. The Chocolate Factory
Aired 25 April 2021 • 18 min
How a simple dairy farm turned into one of the world's most iconic candy companies.
4. Breaking Breakfast
Aired 25 April 2021 • 18 min
This is the shocking story of the most iconic cereal brand in the world, starting with an accidental discovery at a sanitarium, through a major rivalry, and countless innovations that changed breakfast forever.
5. Making the Hut
Aired 16 May 2021 • 18 min
This is the story of a pizza empire that started with two brothers from Michigan who transformed pizza from a little known dish to a national franchise. From the deep dish to the stuffed crust, learn about the innovations and the nostalgic marketing that turned them into a worldwide phenomenon.
6. Dog Eat Dog
Aired 16 May 2021 • 18 min
This is the story of how the hot dog went from one of America’s most feared foods, to a national sensation. From wieners to whales, find out how one ambitious man in Coney Island built a doggone empire.
7. To the Milky Way and Beyond
Aired 6 June 2021 • 18 min
This is the story behind the largest candy company in the world, complete with family feuds, corporate espionage, and brilliant innovations that changed the world.
8. Flame Broiled Battle
Aired 6 June 2021 • 18 min
This is the story behind the biggest burger battle of all time, and how one underdog flame-broiled its own path with one innovation after another.
9. 11 Herbs and Spices
Aired 13 June 2021 • 18 min
The story of how an eccentric man who sold chicken at a gas station founded the largest chicken empire in the world, and became an icon in the process.
10. The Golden Arches
Aired 13 June 2021 • 18 min
The story of how a BBQ drive-in became a worldwide phenomenon, with a logo that is now more recognizable than the holy cross, and the innovations that have driven its success and changed the way the word eats.
11. A Burger is Born
Aired 20 June 2021 • 18 min
This is the story of how an impatient cook created one of America's most iconic foods, leading to the invention of the first ever fast food chain.
12. When Frito Met Lay
Aired 20 June 2021 • 18 min
This is the story of how two salty rivals ended up creating the biggest snack food company in the world, and how their bold innovations forever changed America's taste for chips.
13. Kings of Pop
Aired 27 June 2021 • 23 min
This is the story of how a struggling cola company reinvented business practices and went head to head against its biggest rival for more than 100 years to become one of the world's leading food and beverage companies.
14. Sticks and Cones
Aired 27 June 2021 • 18 min
This is the story of world-changing innovations that turned ice cream from an inconvenient delicacy to America's favorite sweet treat.