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Eating History

Eating History

Level Media Inc. 6 Episodes Oct 13, 2026

Every bite has a backstory. Welcome to Eating History, the podcast that serves up the wild, scandalous, and mouth-watering tales behind the foods that changed the world. Join Michelin-starred chef and Top Chef runner-up Adrienne Cheatham and her husband, history buff Stephen Bailey, as they pair elite culinary expertise with epic historical deep-dives. For Season 1, they slice into the ultimate global obsession: Pizza, exploring how a dirt-cheap street food from Naples conquered the globe. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Episodes

Season 2 (Episode 3): The Sandwich Spreads to the People
Season 2 (Episode 3): The Sandwich Spreads to the People Oct 13, 2026 1160 Welcome to Episode 3 of Eating History’s sandwich season! This week, Stephen and Adrienne explore how the Industrial Revolution took the sandwich out of aristocratic parlors and put it into the hands of the working class. Discover how the rise of factories, densely packed cities, and fast-moving railroads forced humanity to eat by the clock, and why the sandwich was the perfect culinary technology
Season 2 (Episode 2): The Sandwich Goes Global
Season 2 (Episode 2): The Sandwich Goes Global Oct 7, 2026 1169 Welcome to Episode 2 of Eating History’s sandwich season! This week, Stephen and Adrienne track the sandwich as it escapes 18th-century England and begins its journey across the globe. From a brief military ceasefire in France to a bustling railway station in Japan, discover how the sandwich traveled not as a rigid recipe, but as a flexible culinary category that adapted perfectly to every culture
Season 2 (Episode 1): Who Really Invented the Sandwich?
Season 2 (Episode 1): Who Really Invented the Sandwich? Sep 29, 2026 1185 Welcome to the official kickoff of Eating History Season 2! This week, Adrienne and Stephen tackle one of the most famous origin stories in the culinary world: Did John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, really invent his namesake meal to keep his hands clean during an all-night gambling bender? Join the hosts as they explore how an ancient, practical way of eating evolved into a distinct cultu
Season 2 Reveal: The World’s Hardest to Define Food!!
Season 2 Reveal: The World’s Hardest to Define Food!! Sep 23, 2026 506 Welcome back to a brand new season of Eating History! After tracking the evolution of pizza across the globe, Adrienne and Stephen return to tackle an entirely new culinary mystery: What exactly is a sandwich? Join them as they explore how "food inside bread" evolved from a prehistoric practice into a powerful cultural category, and why we are all still furiously debating the hot dog. In this epi
Pizza Bites: The Day Pizza Became American
Pizza Bites: The Day Pizza Became American Sep 15, 2026 549 Welcome to the grand finale of Pizza Bites! After an entire season devoted to the evolution of the slice, Adrienne and Stephen tackle the biggest question of them all: When exactly did pizza stop being an Italian import and become an undeniable American staple? By narrowing down the historical timeline between World War II and the rise of fast-food chains, they pinpoint the exact day pizza officia
Pizza Bites: Pizza Hut Used to Be Really Cool
Pizza Bites: Pizza Hut Used to Be Really Cool Sep 8, 2026 527 Welcome to the newest slice of Pizza Bites! This week, Adrienne and Stephen take a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s to explore the cultural phenomenon of Pizza Hut. What started as a humble $600 investment grew into a $2.7 billion empire that defined the modern experiential dining era. Discover how a brand that once represented the futuristic cutting edge of pop culture is now successfully betting
Eating History Presents: History Daily "The First McDonald’s Opens"
Eating History Presents: History Daily "The First McDonald’s Opens" Sep 1, 2026 1072 What if we told you the story of McDonald’s didn’t start with the Big Mac, drive-thrus, or billions of burgers? In this special episode, Eating History presents one of our favorite episodes of History Daily, exploring the surprising story of how McDonald’s got its start, and the people and ideas that would ultimately change the way the world eats.  Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (America
Pizza Bites: How Friday Became Pizza Night in America
Pizza Bites: How Friday Became Pizza Night in America Aug 25, 2026 378 On the latest Pizza Bite, Adrienne and Stephen unpack a beloved cultural phenomenon: how Friday became America’s undisputed pizza night. Instead of being engineered by a clever corporate marketing campaign, this shared national ritual evolved organically from the everyday choices of millions of exhausted families looking to kick off the weekend with ease. In this episode: How older customs, l
Pizza Bites: The Rise of Pizza Delivery
Pizza Bites: The Rise of Pizza Delivery Aug 18, 2026 415 Welcome to the newest installment of Pizza Bites! This week, Adrienne and Stephen explore the origins of pizzas delivered straight to your door. While pizza didn't invent the concept of food delivery, it was uniquely built to perfect it. Discover how post-WWII suburban sprawl, the rise of the telephone, and the golden age of home video rentals turned a convenient dinner choice into a beloved Ameri
Pizza Bites: How WWII Created America’s Pizza Obsession
Pizza Bites: How WWII Created America’s Pizza Obsession Aug 11, 2026 578 This week, Stephen and Adrienne uncover the unexpected military history behind America's favorite food. When millions of servicemen returned home from Naples, their deep cravings transformed pizza from a regional Italian-American specialty into a nationwide phenomenon. In this episode: Why the strategic port of Naples became the greatest accidental pizza field trip in history The reali
Pizza Bites: How One Pizza Oven Changed New York Forever
Pizza Bites: How One Pizza Oven Changed New York Forever Aug 4, 2026 371 Welcome to episode five of Pizza Bites! This week, Adrienne and Stephen explore how a single coal-fired oven in early 20th-century New York City sparked an entire culinary dynasty. Tune in to discover the intricate family tree of New York pizza and how master pizzaiolos passed down the unwritten secrets of the craft from one generation to the next. In this episode: Why serious pizza fans deba
Pizza Bites: Chicago’s Pizza Identity Crisis (Deep Dish v Tavern Style)
Pizza Bites: Chicago’s Pizza Identity Crisis (Deep Dish v Tavern Style) Jul 28, 2026 453 Welcome to episode four of Pizza Bites! This week, Adrienne and Stephen tackle a fierce Midwestern debate: If Chicago is famous for deep-dish, why do most locals actually eat tavern-style pizza? Tune in to explore the 1930s neighborhood origins, the culinary differences, and the ultimate showdown between the city's two iconic pies. In this episode: The defining characteristics of tavern-style

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