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.

We’re going back to the turn of the century in New York city to learn about the scandalous Broadway Dining scene. Lobster palaces like Rector’s became the place for rich and powerful New York men to wine and dine Broadway chorus girls. Known as stage door johnies (essentially groupies), these wealthy men in top hats lined the stage doors waiting to whisk starlets away in Hanson cabs to a lobster and champagne dinner. We’ll make a Rector’s restaurant specialty: lobster thermidor, which is appropriate for the theatre scene, actually getting it’s name from the French Belle Epoque Play, Thermidor. New York was changing around the turn of the century…electric lights lit up the great white way…skyscrapers were going up…way up. And we’ll discuss the crime of the century: the murder of Famous New York architect Stanford White. It’s quite a story: two stage door johnies who battled it out for the affections of the most famous showgirl, model and original it girl…Evelyn Nesbit.

We’re going back to the 1960’s to learn what Americans were eating. We’ll make a classic buffet dinner from the Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook and flambéed cherries jubilee. We’ll find out what restaurants were popular and what foods were invented. We sent a man to the moon prompting midcentury food and kitchens to get a little more futuristic.The civil rights movement gained momentum in Lunch counters across the southern United States.

We’re going back to Tudor England to learn what Henry VIII and his 6 wives liked to eat. Today we will make Maid of Honour tarts, a treat tied to Anne Boleyn... A sweet spiced wine called Hippocras that Henry believed had medicinal properties, wafers, Tudor salad and of course fire roasted meat.

We’re going back to the old western frontier of the 19th century to cook a meal in the Wild West! After the arduous journey over the Oregon trail, Pioneers settled into their new homes in the west. This is the story of outlaws, cowboys, native Americans, homesteaders, and gold miners. We’ll discuss how Chinese railroad workers introduced Chinese food to America, what cowboys ate while driving cattle across the Great Plains and what exactly they served in Boomtown saloons.