Showing results by author "David Kamp" in All Categories

In 1970, on a soundstage on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a group of men, women, and Muppets of various ages and colors worked doggedly to finish the first season of a children’s TV program that was not yet assured a second season: Sesame Street. They were conducting an experiment to see if television could be used to better prepare disadvantaged preschoolers for kindergarten. What they didn’t know then was that they were starting a cultural revolution that would affect all American kids.

What happened to transform American tastes from Wonder Bread and Shake 'N Bake to sushi and balsamic vinegar? How did Epicureanism evolve from an elitist pursuit to an everyday practice and mind-set of the masses? David Kamp, author of The United States of Arugula: How we Became a Gourmet Nation, is joined by a panel of connoisseurs to explain the American food revolution. Mario Batali is the star of the Food Network's Molto Mario and one of the Iron Chefs on Iron Chef America.