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The Best Episodes of The Food That Built America

Every episode of The Food That Built America ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Food That Built America!

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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

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 4 - Drive-Thru Burger Revolution
    8.8/10(25 votes)

    S7:E4

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 7 - Cheesecake Chronicles
    8.8/10(21 votes)

    S7:E7

    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 star of a restaurant empire.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 2 - Cereal Killers
    8.6/10(26 votes)

    S7:E2

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 5 - Cola Wars
    8.5/10(114 votes)

    S2:E5

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 6 - Cookie Fortunes
    8.4/10(66 votes)

    S3:E6

    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 homestyle cookie shop in a mall.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 7 - The Beef is On
    8.4/10(73 votes)

    S3:E7

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Food That Built America

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  7. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 12 - Pasta Party
    8.4/10(66 votes)

    S3:E12

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 2 - Ice Cream Revolution
    8.4/10(44 votes)

    S5:E2

    A cab driver turned ice cream entrepreneur comes up with the idea to mix name brand candy into high quality ice cream to create new novel flavors. After opening an ice cream shop to share his mix-in creations, his concept skyrockets.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 7 - Champions of Breakfast
    8.4/10(40 votes)

    S5:E7

    Will Kellogg is on top of the cereal industry after beating out post, but now, the king of cereal has met his match with a young flour mill executive; a decades long war for dominance ensues as Kellogg's and General Mills battle it out.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. The Food That Built America Season 6 Episode 5 - Legends of the Mall
    8.4/10(35 votes)

    S6:E5

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 1 - Pizza Power Play
    8.4/10(25 votes)

    S7:E1

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 9 - Burgers, Burritos, & the Battle for Fast Food
    8.4/10(19 votes)

    S7:E9

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 13 - Cereal Sensations
    8.4/10(15 votes)

    S7:E13

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 2 - The Chocolate Rush
    8.3/10(107 votes)

    S2:E2

    In 1919, Milton Hershey is king of the chocolate, but everything changes when sugar prices drop in the new post-WWI era. Competitors spring up, including Hershey's former employee HB Reese, who goes on to create one of the bestselling candies ever.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Food That Built America Season 2 Episode 6 - Chip Dynasties
    8.3/10(102 votes)

    S2:E6

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 4 - A Dish Best Served... Soft
    8.3/10(70 votes)

    S3:E4

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 5 - The Best Thing Since...
    8.3/10(67 votes)

    S3:E5

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Food That Built America Season 3 Episode 9 - Beyond the Burger
    8.3/10(69 votes)

    S3:E9

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Food That Built America Season 4 Episode 12 - Thirst Quenchers
    8.3/10(52 votes)

    S4:E12

    Before juice was everywhere, these innovators used brilliant ingenuity to create the most nostalgic drink products and thirst quenchers of the last century, leading the charge on a new billion dollar beverage industry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 4 - Sunshine in a Glass
    8.3/10(40 votes)

    S5:E4

    A scientist and businessman team up to develop a Vitamin C rich war ration for the troops fighting in World War 2, which unexpectedly leads to the development of a frozen concentrated orange juice that tastes great and allows for the widespread distribution of OJ for the first time in history. Soon after, a fruit salesman develops a process of flash pasteurizing fresh orange juice that turns the fledgling industry on its head. The two companies will go on to battle it out for domination.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Food That Built America Season 5 Episode 6 - Penny Candy Craze
    8.3/10(41 votes)

    S5:E6

    In the early 1900s, an underestimated confectioner creates the first wrapped penny candy--the Tootsie Roll. Meanwhile, an unemployed salesman transforms medicinal hard candy into a fruit flavored, multipack designed purely for fun with Tropical Charms. The two go on to kickstart an entire industry of nationally branded candies and transform the lollipop into a global icon.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. The Food That Built America Season 6 Episode 3 - Baking Chocolate Chip History
    8.3/10(32 votes)

    S6:E3

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 3 - The Birth of Bubblegum
    8.3/10(23 votes)

    S7:E3

    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 — transforming gum into a pop culture.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 5 - Chocolate in a Glass
    8.3/10(23 votes)

    S7:E5

    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 instant cocoa gold.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Food That Built America Season 7 Episode 8 - Rice to Riches
    8.3/10(21 votes)

    S7:E8

    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.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Drive-Thru Burger Revolution" is the best rated episode of "The Food That Built America". It scored 8.8/10 based on 25 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 5/10/2026. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Cheesecake Chronicles".