German beer gardens of the late 19th century were truly glorious. German-American immigrants brought their love of lager and beer gardens to American cities like Milwaukee and New York City. Germans made up the single largest immigrant group in 19th century America. Polka music and German tasty delicacies filled the air. Unlike the male-dominated saloon, beer gardens were family friendly venues for everyone to relax, eat, stroll, and enjoy music, vaudeville acts and bowling.

Fred Harvey’s chain of successful restaurants in the old west along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroads revolutionized the way travelers dined. Whole pies were divided into 4 pieces! Harvey’s last words were “Don’t cut the ham too thin”. Fred was a stickler for quality and value for the customer. By 1900, Harvey had 65 restaurants, 12 hotels and employed over 5,000 people, half of which were women. What really led to success? The Harvey Girls. Get this recipe for a Harvey House favorite, Chicken Maciel.

The Original Brownie Recipe from the Palmer House Hotel (History & Recipe) The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair

The original Waldorf Salad was invented in 1893 at the Waldorf Hotel by it’s famous maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky. We’ll discuss the Astor family rivalry that built the Waldorf-Astoria hotel before it was demolished to make room for the Empire State Building. In the late 19th century, grand Hotels emerged as a new location for opulent banquets, fine dining and the perfect place for Gilded Age society to see and be seen. There was no finer gilded age hotel in New York than the Waldorf-Astoria…This stunning hotel has a fascinating origin story with 2 feuding cousins, both heirs to the Astor fortune.

We’re going back to Edwardian England to learn which foods were cooked and how they were served. We’ll take a look at Downton Abbey as a fictional example of what food was really like in an Edwardian manor, like Highclere Castle. Today I’m using authentic recipes for roast quail with cherry sauce and duchess potatoes from master chef Escoffier to exemplify the upstairs meals and I’ll make a delicious English classic from downstairs, seen in the Downton abbey series, treacle tart.

We’re going back to the world’s fairs from 1851-1904, to we learn which foods were showcased at these worldwide expositions. Worlds fairs were like Victorian versions of Disney’s Epcot. People from all over the globe gathered to immerse themselves in architecture, culture, technology and food. We’ll show the worlds fair restaurants that fed the millions of visitors passing through.

Today I’m making oyster ice cream inspired by one of the most famous White House hostesses of all time Dolley Madison. Yes, that’s oyster flavored ice cream. Dolley Madison has a long standing association with ice cream, and there are several stories stating that oyster ice cream was her favorite. Whether it’s just a myth or it really was Dolley’s favorite…it was too strange to pass up.

We’re going back in history to look at White House cuisine through the Madison, Kennedy & Obama Administrations. What did these presidents like to eat? What did they serve at the White House? And what culinary impact did they make on a national scale? Today I’m making oyster ice cream inspired by one of the most famous White House hostesses of all time Dolley Madison. Yes, thats oyster flavored ice cream. We’ll also make crème brûlée, the recipe from JFK’s library, in honor of Jackie Kennedy’s sophisticated French influence on White House cuisine. And finally we’ll make Obama’s lucky pasta, that White House chef Sam Kass cooked on Air Force one for Barack Obama.

We’re going back to 1837 in New York City to learn the history of America’s first fine dining restaurant, delmonicos. We’ll make the dishes they made famous like baked Alaska, eggs Benedict along with owner Oscar’s Tucci’s secret Delmonico cocktail.

We’re going back to 1933-1945 during FDR’s administration to learn just how bad the food really was. In case you haven’t heard, the stories of unappetizing food surrounding this administration are legendary. Earnest Hemingway dined at the White House in 1937 and called it the worst meal he’d ever eaten…apparently Washington insiders knew to eat sandwiches before coming to the White House to avoid the dreadful food. FDR and Eleanor helped guide America through a brutal 12 years, and provided a shining example of patriotism: suffering in solidarity with bad food because the American people didn’t have enough to eat. THey even planted a victory garden on the White House lawn during world war 2. We’ll make one of those 7 1/2 cent meals today along with Eleanor’s special Sunday supper…scrambled eggs with brains.