The Food That Built America Season 7 poster

The Food That Built America Season 7

14 Episodes First aired Apr 19, 2026

The fascinating 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, those who invented new technologies and helped win wars.

Episodes

E1
1. Pizza Power Play
Apr 19, 2026 · 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.

E2
2. Cereal Killers
Apr 26, 2026 · 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.

E3
3. The Birth of Bubblegum
May 3, 2026 · 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…

E4
4. Drive-Thru Burger Revolution
May 10, 2026 · 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.

E5
5. Chocolate in a Glass
May 17, 2026 · 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…

E6
6. Clash of the Cookie Giants
May 31, 2026 · 43m

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

E7
7. Cheesecake Chronicles
Jun 7, 2026 · 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…

E8
8. Rice to Riches
Jun 14, 2026 · 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.

E9
9. Burgers, Burritos, & the Battle for Fast Food
Jun 21, 2026 · 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.

E10
10. Icons of Ice Cream
Jun 28, 2026 · 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.

E11
11. Spilling the Tea
Jul 5, 2026 · 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.

E12
12. Let's Get Crackering
Jul 12, 2026 · 42m

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

E13
13. Cereal Sensations
Jul 19, 2026

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

E14
14. Say Yes to the DressingSeason Finale
Jul 26, 2026

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