The Food That Built America

High school friends see an alternative to fast food with the "submarine" sandwich, but they are quickly met with fierce competition from a new submarine joint that will go on to be the biggest restaurant chain in the world.

In the late 1800s, German immigrants Joseph Schlitz and Capt. Frederick Pabst find themselves in a battle for beer dominance; in their fight for one-upmanship, they create the most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet.

When a commercial caterer realizes his two bestselling items are donuts and coffee, he joins forces with his brother-in-law to create a revolutionary donut chain; a rivalry starts with a beloved Southern-based donut shop.

When his ice cream truck breaks down, Tom Carvel discovers that half-melted ice cream is a surefire hit with customers.

In a quest to dominate the growing commercial bread industry, Lee Marshall bets on a new kind of white loaf, unwittingly inspiring a homemaker named Margaret Rudkin to come up with a healthier alternative.

Hollywood agent Wally Amos transforms his professional life when he decides to make and sell his own gourmet chocolate chip cookies, and opens America's first cookie store; housewife Debbi Fields opens her home-style cookie shop in a mall.

When Col. Sanders sells his company to investors in 1964, the new owners identify a rising star within the organization: Dave Thomas.

Small-town farmer Orville Redenbacher has a lifelong dream of creating the perfect popcorn kernel, leading to the first significant development of popcorn in thousands of years, which he sells nationwide.

Restaurateur Glen Bell works to create a burger alternative for the fast-food market and after several setbacks goes on to help introduce the taco to America; two brothers look to beat the burger by betting that a roast beef sandwich can compete.

Former wrestler Rocky Aoki and a perfume salesman become the unlikely fathers of a casual dining revolution when they open different establishments in the heart of New York City: one of America's first Japanese restaurants and a swinging singles bar.

Martha Entenmann takes the reins of her late husband's baking company and grows it into a national powerhouse; a married couple bankrupt one bakery but succeed during their second time around with a revolutionary way to sell snack cakes.

Hector and Mario Boiardi open an Italian restaurant in Cleveland in 1924 and soon introduce Italian food to Americans; the brothers eventually find themselves in competition with James Kraft and his newest offering, macaroni and cheese.