The Food That Built America Show Summary, Upcoming Episodes and TV Guide

At a time when U.S. beer is dominated by the same lager style, one Milwaukee company experiments with something new. What starts as an unappealing low-calorie beer will become the number one beer in America, and a battle between two all-time titans to be the king of light beer.

A young upstart named Oscar Mayer creates one of the most iconic meat brands on the planet; pioneer Jay Hormel invents a meat product sold the world over, which becomes part of a $20 billion food empire.

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.

Two entrepreneurs rise from the ashes of Prohibition by staking everything on two liquors - a bitter, bottom-shelf whisky, and a flavorless foreign moonshine - and go on to save an industry and create two of the most popular brands in the country. 

A look at some staples of Thanksgiving dinner that weren't around until a few brands used technological advances to reinvent turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and more; food innovators made each part of the meal accessible. 

Eventually challenging America's burger joint heavyweights, two future fast-food kingpins find themselves on a collision course in an all-out chicken sandwich war that is still raging to this day.

A cereal executive's bold idea to finance the 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' movie will kick-off a candy revolution that produces some of the most iconic, imaginative confections in history.

The top-selling candy days of the year revolve around Easter, Valentine's Day, and Halloween. And it all started with a few bold pioneers. 

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.

In New York City, former Olympic wrestler Rocky Aoki and a perfume salesman become the unlikely fathers of a casual dining revolution when they open wildly different establishments in the heart of the city: one of America's first Japanese restaurants, and a swinging singles bar that will go on to become one of the country's most iconic restaurant chains.

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.

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

In the late 1800s, German immigrants Joseph Schlitz and Captain Frederick Pabst find themselves in a battle for beer dominance. In their fight for one upmanship they will help create the most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet, introduce lager beer to the nation, and become two of the biggest companies on Earth for half a century.

Dr. John Kellogg and his brother start a revolution in breakfast, while rival C.W. Post takes direct aim at an empire of his own. And the creation of an iconic food comes at a cost, as the brothers' relationship reaches a boiling point under the weight of their success.

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.

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. Smith re-engineers the emerging rival, using the best ideas of his former franchise to modernize the brand. In an unprecedented move, Ray Kroc brings on a world renowned chef to develop the chicken nugget, breakfast, and try to crush the would-be king once and for all.

Gilbert Swanson inherits his father's frozen turkey company and partners with a food chemist to innovate a revolutionary dinner that Americans can heat up at home.

When a chemist begins working at the Joseph A. Campbell preserve company, he invents a condensed soup that brings this rare luxury to the nation for the first time. But as they try to get the word out to Americans who aren't yet accustomed to soup, it also attracts the attention of Henry Heinz, who becomes a bitter competitor in a race for revolutionary innovation and nationwide soup sales dominance.

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. And when the empires meet, they will have to strike a deal...or go to war.

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.

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, including his former employee HB Reese, who will go on to create the best selling candy on the planet. But Reese isn't Hershey's only rival, when a brilliant marketer soon comes up with not one, but two of the most iconic candy bars in history.

As the Great Depression hits, the titans of food push the envelope of innovation to feed a hungry nation. Then WWII sees competing industrial empires joining the war effort in a united front to fuel the forces fighting for freedom abroad. And in Post-War America, visionaries like Harland Sanders, the McDonald brothers and Ray Kroc battle to revolutionize the restaurant industry, and pave the way for the golden age of the American dream.

In the wake of the Civil War, a revolution is taking place on the backs of visionary entrepreneurs of industry. Before they become brand names, budding innovators like Henry Heinz, John and Will Kellogg, and C.W. Post push the limits of ingenuity to launch businesses that will revolutionize industry, and change the landscape of the nation forever.