Food(ography)

Long before the advent of the icebox was the ice age! Ice cream has a long history as a human comfort food. It's a world filled with soft serves, hand dips, gelatos, sorbets, granitas and frozen custards. Pastry genius Johnny Iuzzini takes us from ices to ice cream in a knockout dessert. Take a ride with us on Ben van Leeuwen's organic ice cream truck, discover ice cream that stretches like taffy, and tastes like BLT. Marvel at an instant frozen treat made with the miraculous Anti-griddle, and explore the secret halls of the IFF, where vanilla is born.

Once upon a time, eating outdoors was the only option. But even when life got a little cushier, mankind found that to their surprise, they still yearned to dine al fresco. To see how cooking has evolved beyond the hearth, journey with us from Plimoth Plantation to the Red Hook Ball Fields. Whether it is artisanal sausages in Rhode Island, whole baby lambs on a spit in Williamsburg, or luxury BBQ in LA, outdoor cooking and dining is here to stay.

Follow the deep, dark path of chocolate from the depths of the rainforest to the back rooms of master chocolatiers. Visit Ultra Marinos where Maricel Presilla will take us back to the earliest Meso-American chocolate beverage or see how Hershey's Kisses have been challenged by Victorian clad blenders at Mast Brothers Chocolate in New York.

Slurp, twirl and trace the delicious journey of the noodle from its twisted past via China, the Arab world, and of course, the famed pastas of Italy. Meet hand-made noodle makers from Italian, Chinese, and Japanese traditions, take a tour of D. Maldari & Sons pasta die factory in Brooklyn, meet American pasta royalty, and watch as the noodle takes the road less traveled.

From the first cookbook, Apicius, to Julia Child's masterpiece, we're diving headfirst into the glossy oversized tomes spread across your kitchen table. You don't even need a library card - we'll help you click through virtual cookbooks and phone apps for all of your favorite recipes.

Learn where the cocktail has been, who's leading it into the future, and how to mix up one of your own. Whether it is shaken, stirred, or loggerheaded with an 1100? 18-inch-long metal rod - cocktail experts and historians like David Wondrich will get you up to speed on everything alcohol. Jim Meehan from PDT will show us the path of the American speakeasy, and cocktail master Eben Freeman will mix up some incredible cocktails with some unusual flavors like....bacon. We'll enjoy a round at Manhattan's posh Carlyle Hotel where we'll imbibe in New York's best kept secret, Bemelman's Bar. From bargain pirate punches to $22 mixologist cocktails, we'll stir it all up.