1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:03,583 - [Narrator] It is a global market valued 2 00:00:03,583 --> 00:00:05,167 at over $20 billion. 3 00:00:05,167 --> 00:00:07,625 - It's decadent and it's luxurious. 4 00:00:07,625 --> 00:00:09,833 - [Narrator] from diners and delis 5 00:00:09,833 --> 00:00:12,833 to iconic chains around the world. 6 00:00:12,833 --> 00:00:14,542 - Cheesecake is almost romantic. 7 00:00:14,542 --> 00:00:17,708 It's the product that you have at your engagement 8 00:00:17,708 --> 00:00:19,000 at the dinner afterwards. 9 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,208 It's just a high end experience and it delivers. 10 00:00:23,208 --> 00:00:25,417 - [Narrator] But the multi-billion dollar industry 11 00:00:25,417 --> 00:00:29,375 emerged from a series of accidents, bold gambles, 12 00:00:29,375 --> 00:00:32,125 and ideas no one knew they needed. 13 00:00:33,625 --> 00:00:37,750 Beginning with a simple cheese transformed by a small tweak. 14 00:00:37,750 --> 00:00:39,542 - He tastes it and he goes, "Man, 15 00:00:39,542 --> 00:00:42,625 this is way better than this other stuff I'm making. 16 00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:44,375 - Philadelphia cream cheese. 17 00:00:44,375 --> 00:00:46,625 - [Narrator] And that one change opens the door 18 00:00:46,625 --> 00:00:49,708 to an entirely new kind of dessert. 19 00:00:49,708 --> 00:00:52,208 - Reuben wants to make something that's going to appeal 20 00:00:52,208 --> 00:00:54,375 to the customers of his restaurant. 21 00:00:54,375 --> 00:00:57,833 People love sweets and they love rich pies. 22 00:00:57,833 --> 00:00:59,917 - So he used cream cheese. 23 00:00:59,917 --> 00:01:01,083 - It was something the likes 24 00:01:01,083 --> 00:01:03,542 of which no one in New York had had, 25 00:01:03,542 --> 00:01:06,708 and everyone in New York wanted to try. 26 00:01:06,708 --> 00:01:09,333 - [Narrator] But another baker takes it to new heights. 27 00:01:09,333 --> 00:01:10,792 - Can we still have the bakery? 28 00:01:10,792 --> 00:01:12,292 - That's the plan, Sara Lee. 29 00:01:13,292 --> 00:01:15,500 - [Narrator] By pioneering frozen dessert. 30 00:01:15,500 --> 00:01:18,250 - Sara Lee has created a whole new category 31 00:01:18,250 --> 00:01:20,750 in the American food landscape. 32 00:01:20,750 --> 00:01:22,750 - [Narrator] And putting cheesecake in freezers 33 00:01:22,750 --> 00:01:24,292 across America. 34 00:01:24,292 --> 00:01:27,958 - It changes the dynamic of what people expect 35 00:01:27,958 --> 00:01:29,625 to get from the supermarket. 36 00:01:30,875 --> 00:01:33,250 - [Narrator] While another family risks it all 37 00:01:33,250 --> 00:01:36,375 by betting on dessert as the main attraction. 38 00:01:36,375 --> 00:01:39,000 - You wanna open a restaurant based entirely on cheesecake? 39 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:40,375 - For all intents and purposes, 40 00:01:40,375 --> 00:01:42,042 a restaurant that's built all around 41 00:01:42,042 --> 00:01:44,792 one specific kind of dessert should not work, 42 00:01:44,792 --> 00:01:47,292 but here we are. 43 00:01:49,417 --> 00:01:51,375 - Everybody loves cheesecake. Come on. 44 00:01:53,542 --> 00:01:55,625 [dramatic music] 45 00:02:14,208 --> 00:02:15,500 - [Narrator] Today, 46 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:17,500 cheesecake is one of America's top five 47 00:02:17,500 --> 00:02:21,583 most popular desserts alongside chocolate chip cookies, 48 00:02:21,583 --> 00:02:24,125 ice cream, brownies, and apple pie. 49 00:02:25,083 --> 00:02:26,625 But less than a hundred years ago, 50 00:02:26,625 --> 00:02:30,375 it was something very different than what we know today. 51 00:02:30,375 --> 00:02:32,958 - So the idea of a cheesecake actually dates back 52 00:02:32,958 --> 00:02:35,333 all the way to ancient Greece 53 00:02:35,333 --> 00:02:36,875 where people would eat cakes 54 00:02:36,875 --> 00:02:41,417 or pies made with essentially cottage cheese and honey. 55 00:02:41,417 --> 00:02:44,167 - [Narrator] Early cheesecakes were simple, dense, 56 00:02:44,167 --> 00:02:47,375 and barely sweet, made to fuel the body, 57 00:02:47,375 --> 00:02:49,000 not indulge a sweet tooth. 58 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,375 - Then as time progressed, Europeans especially Germans, 59 00:02:52,375 --> 00:02:55,333 would create their own versions of cheesecake 60 00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:57,875 using different cheeses. 61 00:02:57,875 --> 00:03:01,708 - These European style cheesecakes use cheeses 62 00:03:01,708 --> 00:03:04,208 that have a large, what we call a curd. 63 00:03:04,208 --> 00:03:06,292 The curd is sort of the grain of the cheese. 64 00:03:06,292 --> 00:03:08,500 So a ricotta has a large curd. 65 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:10,000 Cottage cheese has a large curd. 66 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,875 A lot of the European cheesecakes would utilize 67 00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:17,500 these cheeses and they would tend to be less sweet. 68 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:21,542 - It is light years away from what we now consider 69 00:03:21,542 --> 00:03:24,333 to be cheesecake, simply because 70 00:03:24,333 --> 00:03:27,875 one key ingredient had not yet been created. 71 00:03:27,875 --> 00:03:32,292 - New American cheesecake is built on one ingredient, 72 00:03:32,292 --> 00:03:33,667 and that's cream cheese. 73 00:03:37,208 --> 00:03:39,250 - [Narrator] It is 1872 74 00:03:39,250 --> 00:03:41,875 and on an upstate New York Dairy farm, 75 00:03:41,875 --> 00:03:44,208 William Lawrence is working on a request 76 00:03:44,208 --> 00:03:47,333 for an elite New York cheese shop. 77 00:03:47,333 --> 00:03:50,500 - William Lawrence is a farmer 78 00:03:50,500 --> 00:03:53,292 in rural Orange County, New York, 79 00:03:53,292 --> 00:03:55,292 a little town called Chester. 80 00:03:55,292 --> 00:03:59,333 He marries into a dairy farming family, 81 00:03:59,333 --> 00:04:02,375 but he pretty quickly realizes that 82 00:04:02,375 --> 00:04:04,708 it's not super easy being a dairy farmer, 83 00:04:04,708 --> 00:04:08,750 especially in a time period before pasteurization, 84 00:04:08,750 --> 00:04:12,375 and so he decides he wants to go into cheese making. 85 00:04:13,667 --> 00:04:16,917 - Milk spoils within a day without refrigeration. 86 00:04:16,917 --> 00:04:19,625 And so therefore, turning that milk into cheese, 87 00:04:19,625 --> 00:04:22,333 adding salt, and withdrawing the water 88 00:04:22,333 --> 00:04:25,917 allows that to last for a lot longer. 89 00:04:27,500 --> 00:04:29,000 - [Narrator] While cheeses like Cheddar 90 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:33,417 and Swiss are popular among most Americans in the 1870s, 91 00:04:33,417 --> 00:04:35,833 a new trend is emerging among the wealthy, 92 00:04:35,833 --> 00:04:40,292 a growing taste for French varieties of cheese. 93 00:04:41,875 --> 00:04:45,375 - By the time we get to the late 19th century, 94 00:04:45,375 --> 00:04:48,667 particularly the lead up to the Gilded Age, 95 00:04:48,667 --> 00:04:51,875 wealthy Americans are traveling more and more to Europe. 96 00:04:51,875 --> 00:04:53,792 They're being exposed to 97 00:04:53,792 --> 00:04:56,208 kind of the wealthy aristocracy in Europe 98 00:04:56,208 --> 00:04:58,208 and they want to emulate it. 99 00:04:59,208 --> 00:05:04,042 And so you start to see a lot of French, fancy, aged cheeses 100 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:08,875 like brie, like Roquefort, like Camembert, like Neufchâtel. 101 00:05:09,875 --> 00:05:14,750 - Neufchâtel is a soft, slightly crumbly cheese. 102 00:05:14,875 --> 00:05:17,042 It actually originated from the Normandy region 103 00:05:17,042 --> 00:05:18,500 of France in the sixth century, 104 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:22,000 and it was usually just spread on crackers, 105 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:23,708 like most soft cheeses were. 106 00:05:27,167 --> 00:05:28,417 - [Narrator] Lawrence often sells 107 00:05:28,417 --> 00:05:31,250 to upscale cheese shops in New York City, 108 00:05:31,250 --> 00:05:32,875 and one of them has asked him 109 00:05:32,875 --> 00:05:37,583 to create a richer, creamier version of Neufchâtel. 110 00:05:37,583 --> 00:05:40,083 - [Sarah] And so he takes the typical process of Neufchâtel 111 00:05:40,083 --> 00:05:41,875 which is made with whole milk, 112 00:05:41,875 --> 00:05:44,542 and he adds heavy cream to the process. 113 00:05:44,542 --> 00:05:46,708 - [Narrator] Classic French cheeses rely on 114 00:05:46,708 --> 00:05:50,000 whole or skim milk, and aging for flavor. 115 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:54,667 - Heavy cream creates a much more mild tasting cheese. 116 00:05:54,667 --> 00:05:57,250 French cheeses were notoriously stinky 117 00:05:57,250 --> 00:06:00,417 that had a bit more tang or a bit more bite, 118 00:06:00,417 --> 00:06:01,792 and he understood that 119 00:06:01,792 --> 00:06:05,542 by creating this new variation on this cheese, 120 00:06:05,542 --> 00:06:10,125 he might alienate the very people he was creating it for. 121 00:06:11,708 --> 00:06:13,208 - [Narrator] To signal that it's different 122 00:06:13,208 --> 00:06:15,417 from traditional Neufchâtel, 123 00:06:15,417 --> 00:06:18,417 he labels it Neufchâtel and cream cheese, 124 00:06:19,417 --> 00:06:21,875 hoping to spark his customer's curiosity, 125 00:06:23,667 --> 00:06:25,167 but he has no idea that 126 00:06:25,292 --> 00:06:28,875 what he's made is far more than a richer milder Neufchâtel; 127 00:06:30,167 --> 00:06:34,208 it's the start of a multi-billion dollar industry, 128 00:06:34,208 --> 00:06:36,542 the world's first cream cheese. 129 00:06:38,125 --> 00:06:39,875 Right now, he's just hoping 130 00:06:39,875 --> 00:06:42,500 it will sell well at a single cheese shop. 131 00:06:43,875 --> 00:06:47,208 - [Adam] His clients end up selling this creamier iteration 132 00:06:47,208 --> 00:06:50,667 of Neufchâtel cheese at a much higher price point, 133 00:06:50,667 --> 00:06:54,625 and people really feel that this is a much more luxurious, 134 00:06:54,625 --> 00:06:57,125 much creamier product. 135 00:06:57,125 --> 00:07:00,083 Ultimately, the clients end up attracting more customers 136 00:07:00,083 --> 00:07:01,542 than they know how to handle, 137 00:07:01,542 --> 00:07:03,208 and people are clamoring 138 00:07:03,208 --> 00:07:07,708 for Lawrence's Neufchâtel and cream cheese, 139 00:07:07,708 --> 00:07:10,042 the most creamy, mild tasting, 140 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:13,833 and luxurious spreadable cheese on the market. 141 00:07:14,875 --> 00:07:17,708 - [Narrator] Soon, other cheese shops throughout New York City 142 00:07:17,708 --> 00:07:21,542 are placing orders for Lawrence's creamier Neufchâtel. 143 00:07:23,542 --> 00:07:25,667 - As more cheese shops begin to sell it, 144 00:07:25,667 --> 00:07:27,708 there's a buzz around this cheese that goes even 145 00:07:27,708 --> 00:07:30,167 beyond the elite cheese shops. 146 00:07:30,167 --> 00:07:32,125 Everybody wanted to try it. 147 00:07:33,583 --> 00:07:35,125 - [Narrator] Even as Lawrence works around the clock 148 00:07:35,125 --> 00:07:36,417 to keep up, 149 00:07:36,417 --> 00:07:38,583 getting large orders of delicate cheese 150 00:07:38,583 --> 00:07:42,167 to his customers is a whole other challenge. 151 00:07:42,167 --> 00:07:45,000 - So the Neufchâtel product was kind of in a round, 152 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:48,083 almost log type product that was generated 153 00:07:48,083 --> 00:07:49,792 and that was just how the product was made. 154 00:07:49,792 --> 00:07:51,125 Think of like a wheel of Camembert. 155 00:07:51,125 --> 00:07:53,375 That's what people were used to at the time, 156 00:07:53,375 --> 00:07:56,083 and then that's how you actually sold it. 157 00:07:56,083 --> 00:07:58,750 - One day, while Lawrence is packaging these 158 00:07:58,750 --> 00:08:02,417 little rounds of Neufchâtel into crates to be shipped, 159 00:08:02,417 --> 00:08:06,792 he realizes that there's all these gaps in a square crate. 160 00:08:09,542 --> 00:08:11,000 - We're wasting so much space. 161 00:08:12,875 --> 00:08:15,625 - And suddenly, the light bulb goes off. 162 00:08:16,875 --> 00:08:18,500 - [Chirag] And shipping was so expensive at that point, 163 00:08:18,500 --> 00:08:20,042 it didn't really make sense to have 164 00:08:20,042 --> 00:08:22,542 a separate shipping container for whatever was left over. 165 00:08:22,542 --> 00:08:24,875 [tense music] 166 00:08:39,667 --> 00:08:42,417 - He says, "Aha, I'm gonna make my cheese 167 00:08:42,417 --> 00:08:43,833 into rectangular bricks. 168 00:08:43,833 --> 00:08:46,917 I can fit more cheese per crate. 169 00:08:46,917 --> 00:08:50,042 I can ship more, and therefore I can sell more." 170 00:08:50,042 --> 00:08:53,000 - [Erin] So I always find it really fascinating when someone 171 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,000 looks at a problem and identifies a solution 172 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,542 that's literally never been thought of before. 173 00:08:57,542 --> 00:08:59,208 You know, and to us it seems so obvious, 174 00:08:59,208 --> 00:09:02,375 but back then it's this revolutionary idea. 175 00:09:02,375 --> 00:09:05,542 - [Adam] This simple variation of turning a soft cheese 176 00:09:05,542 --> 00:09:08,000 from the traditional round 177 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,375 into a rectangular brick will change the way soft cheeses, 178 00:09:12,375 --> 00:09:16,917 and his cheese in particular, is packaged forever. 179 00:09:16,917 --> 00:09:18,042 - [Narrator] But the biggest breakthrough 180 00:09:18,042 --> 00:09:20,292 for Lawrence's cheese will come thanks 181 00:09:20,292 --> 00:09:23,917 to an unlikely source, a complete stranger. 182 00:09:28,792 --> 00:09:31,542 In 1880, the cheese catches the attention 183 00:09:31,542 --> 00:09:34,375 of a cheese broker from New York City. 184 00:09:34,375 --> 00:09:37,708 - Alva Reynolds specialized in selling dairy products, 185 00:09:37,708 --> 00:09:41,375 so he would go around in a cart selling his product. 186 00:09:41,375 --> 00:09:42,708 - These were brokers who were able 187 00:09:42,708 --> 00:09:45,167 to bring these cheeses from their rural markets 188 00:09:45,167 --> 00:09:47,667 to the cities where they could be distributed. 189 00:09:47,667 --> 00:09:49,542 - [Narrator] Convinced Lawrence's cheese 190 00:09:49,542 --> 00:09:52,625 could go far beyond a local curiosity, 191 00:09:52,625 --> 00:09:55,542 Alva Reynolds proposes a partnership. 192 00:09:55,542 --> 00:09:57,875 - I'm not really looking for a partner. 193 00:09:57,875 --> 00:09:59,917 My cheese sells just fine. 194 00:09:59,917 --> 00:10:03,000 - I took the liberty of mocking up an idea. 195 00:10:04,917 --> 00:10:06,875 - Just "cream cheese"? 196 00:10:06,875 --> 00:10:08,875 Why would you call it that? 197 00:10:08,875 --> 00:10:10,583 - He's not seeing what Reynolds is seeing, 198 00:10:10,583 --> 00:10:12,792 which is that this creamy Neufchâtel 199 00:10:12,792 --> 00:10:14,542 is not a Neufchâtel at all. 200 00:10:14,542 --> 00:10:16,417 It's a totally different kind of cheese, 201 00:10:16,417 --> 00:10:18,375 and it should be marketed that way. 202 00:10:18,375 --> 00:10:19,875 - It doesn't sound nearly as... 203 00:10:19,875 --> 00:10:22,500 - French? - Yes. 204 00:10:22,500 --> 00:10:24,875 - Because it's not French. 205 00:10:24,875 --> 00:10:26,542 - [Narrator] Reynolds sees the making 206 00:10:26,542 --> 00:10:28,708 of a distinctly American product. 207 00:10:28,708 --> 00:10:30,125 - So he sees this opportunity not just 208 00:10:30,125 --> 00:10:33,292 to give it a new name, but to really own it. 209 00:10:33,292 --> 00:10:35,292 - [Narrator] Reynolds' vision will ultimately turn 210 00:10:35,292 --> 00:10:38,750 an unusual local cheese into a product that sells 211 00:10:38,750 --> 00:10:42,042 hundreds of millions of pounds a year. 212 00:10:42,042 --> 00:10:44,250 And in time, it will lay the foundation 213 00:10:44,250 --> 00:10:48,792 for one of America's most beloved desserts. 214 00:10:48,792 --> 00:10:50,833 But first, it needs a name. 215 00:10:50,833 --> 00:10:53,417 - You do know we're in New York? 216 00:10:53,417 --> 00:10:54,417 - Of course. 217 00:10:55,542 --> 00:10:59,833 - Then why would we call it Philadelphia? 218 00:11:08,542 --> 00:11:10,208 - [Narrator] It's 1880 219 00:11:10,208 --> 00:11:13,375 and cheese broker Alva Reynolds tries to make a deal 220 00:11:13,375 --> 00:11:17,375 with dairy farmer William Lawrence for his unique product, 221 00:11:17,375 --> 00:11:20,375 a creamier take on French Neufchâtel. 222 00:11:20,375 --> 00:11:22,208 - Reynolds looks at Lawrence and realizes he's created 223 00:11:22,208 --> 00:11:23,958 a whole new category and he goes, "Wait, 224 00:11:23,958 --> 00:11:25,542 we can capitalize on this." 225 00:11:25,542 --> 00:11:28,333 - [Narrator] Reynolds proposes selling the cheese 226 00:11:28,333 --> 00:11:29,667 not as Neufchâtel, 227 00:11:29,667 --> 00:11:33,250 but as a new product with a name of its own. 228 00:11:33,250 --> 00:11:37,875 - The Philadelphia moniker really comes about because 229 00:11:37,875 --> 00:11:41,792 Philadelphia had this kind of aura of quality 230 00:11:41,792 --> 00:11:44,333 and purity in their dairy products 231 00:11:44,333 --> 00:11:45,667 being from Pennsylvania. 232 00:11:45,667 --> 00:11:47,708 - It was known for having 233 00:11:47,708 --> 00:11:52,583 dairy farms, dairy fields, loads of cows. 234 00:11:52,583 --> 00:11:55,333 - [Sarah] We're not used to thinking of it as pastoral 235 00:11:55,333 --> 00:11:56,792 with all these dairy farms surrounding it. 236 00:11:56,792 --> 00:12:00,708 But in the 1870s, that's what it was, 237 00:12:00,708 --> 00:12:03,875 and New York City, in the 1860s especially, 238 00:12:03,875 --> 00:12:07,542 there were a bunch of swill milk scandals, right, 239 00:12:07,542 --> 00:12:11,458 where urban dairies were selling adulterated milk. 240 00:12:11,458 --> 00:12:13,875 Some of it was infected with tuberculosis. 241 00:12:13,875 --> 00:12:17,542 There's still this idea that New York dairy 242 00:12:17,542 --> 00:12:18,917 is is not as good 243 00:12:18,917 --> 00:12:21,583 as maybe this higher reputation dairy 244 00:12:21,583 --> 00:12:22,917 coming out of Pennsylvania. 245 00:12:22,917 --> 00:12:25,000 - Isn't that a bit dishonest? 246 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,125 - We're not saying it's from Philadelphia. 247 00:12:27,125 --> 00:12:29,458 We're just giving it a name. 248 00:12:29,458 --> 00:12:30,875 - A branded name. 249 00:12:30,875 --> 00:12:33,792 - In the late 1800s, branding products, 250 00:12:33,792 --> 00:12:36,375 grocery products, was very unusual. 251 00:12:36,375 --> 00:12:39,042 Typically in food, if you manufactured food products 252 00:12:39,042 --> 00:12:41,208 or ingredients, you did it locally, 253 00:12:41,208 --> 00:12:43,417 and you didn't sell things with a brand, 254 00:12:43,417 --> 00:12:45,125 you just took them to the general store 255 00:12:45,125 --> 00:12:48,000 and they were sold out of barrels or what have you. 256 00:12:48,917 --> 00:12:51,208 - Philadelphia cream cheese. 257 00:12:51,208 --> 00:12:54,583 - [Adam] In the late 19th century, if you made soap, 258 00:12:54,583 --> 00:12:56,042 it was just called soap. 259 00:12:56,042 --> 00:12:58,958 If you made cheese, you made Gouda, you made Stilton, 260 00:12:58,958 --> 00:13:01,375 you made Edam, you made cheddar, 261 00:13:01,375 --> 00:13:03,042 but you didn't give it a brand name. 262 00:13:03,042 --> 00:13:05,375 - That was bold, that was forward thinking, 263 00:13:05,375 --> 00:13:07,583 and giving it the name Philadelphia, 264 00:13:07,583 --> 00:13:11,292 when it was made in upstate New York, even more bold. 265 00:13:11,292 --> 00:13:13,000 [laughs] 266 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:14,292 But it was a great idea 267 00:13:14,292 --> 00:13:16,708 and it gave it this sort of elevated, you know, 268 00:13:16,708 --> 00:13:20,750 sort of urban feel like it was fancier. 269 00:13:20,750 --> 00:13:23,542 - [Narrator] Lawrence agrees to partner with Reynolds, 270 00:13:23,542 --> 00:13:26,083 and in 1880, 271 00:13:26,083 --> 00:13:27,875 their cream cheese hits stores 272 00:13:27,875 --> 00:13:30,292 throughout the greater New York region. 273 00:13:30,292 --> 00:13:32,833 - When Philadelphia cream cheese makes its debut, 274 00:13:32,833 --> 00:13:34,208 it's an instant hit, 275 00:13:34,208 --> 00:13:36,958 and the brand name only helps the word spread faster. 276 00:13:36,958 --> 00:13:39,250 - [Paul] Cream cheese is spreadable 277 00:13:39,250 --> 00:13:41,750 in a particularly smooth way 278 00:13:41,750 --> 00:13:45,750 that appealed to consumers along with a taste 279 00:13:45,750 --> 00:13:48,292 that was mild but distinctive. 280 00:13:48,292 --> 00:13:50,708 - [Narrator] And it isn't long before larger distributors 281 00:13:50,708 --> 00:13:52,042 take notice. 282 00:13:54,083 --> 00:13:58,208 In 1903, a thriving cheese company from New York purchases 283 00:13:58,208 --> 00:14:01,042 Philadelphia Cream Cheese. 284 00:14:01,042 --> 00:14:03,292 - By the time he passes away in 1911, 285 00:14:03,292 --> 00:14:06,500 William Lawrence is a very wealthy man. 286 00:14:07,458 --> 00:14:10,167 - [Narrator] Philadelphia instantly becomes a bestseller 287 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:12,875 and quickly expands its distribution 288 00:14:12,875 --> 00:14:14,625 throughout the east coast. 289 00:14:14,625 --> 00:14:16,208 - Phoenix is actually producing 290 00:14:16,208 --> 00:14:20,917 2,000 boxes of Philadelphia cream cheese every single day. 291 00:14:20,917 --> 00:14:23,000 - [Narrator] As the market is flooded with rivals, 292 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,042 the biggest name in American cheese, 293 00:14:25,042 --> 00:14:28,458 Kraft, acquires Philadelphia. 294 00:14:28,458 --> 00:14:31,208 - Eventually, Phoenix is bought by Kraft 295 00:14:31,208 --> 00:14:34,083 and Philadelphia Cream Cheese becomes a Kraft product. 296 00:14:34,083 --> 00:14:35,500 - At this point in time, 297 00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:38,708 Kraft is kind of the cheese company of America. 298 00:14:38,708 --> 00:14:40,625 They've invented American cheese, 299 00:14:40,625 --> 00:14:42,542 the first shelf stable cheese, 300 00:14:42,542 --> 00:14:44,833 and they were an important source of cheese 301 00:14:44,833 --> 00:14:46,250 for the US military. 302 00:14:47,292 --> 00:14:48,833 - [Narrator] With Kraft's resources 303 00:14:48,833 --> 00:14:51,458 and a patented pasteurization process, 304 00:14:51,458 --> 00:14:54,417 Philadelphia Cream Cheese expands nationwide, 305 00:14:54,417 --> 00:14:58,708 becoming a staple in millions of American refrigerators. 306 00:14:58,708 --> 00:15:02,417 - Well before a fascination with bagels in the 1950s, 307 00:15:02,417 --> 00:15:05,958 most people were enjoying cream cheese on toast 308 00:15:05,958 --> 00:15:07,458 or on crackers, 309 00:15:07,458 --> 00:15:09,042 some even putting it 310 00:15:09,042 --> 00:15:12,708 in the hollowed out rib of a piece of celery. 311 00:15:12,708 --> 00:15:15,375 But cream cheese was still 312 00:15:15,375 --> 00:15:18,208 to have its most powerful, beautiful, 313 00:15:18,208 --> 00:15:20,458 and delectable incarnation. 314 00:15:23,458 --> 00:15:25,125 - [Narrator] In 1929, 315 00:15:25,125 --> 00:15:28,917 a restaurateur is on the verge of a discovery. 316 00:15:28,917 --> 00:15:32,500 - Arnold Rubin ran a delicatessen 317 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:37,042 and later restaurant called Reuben's in Manhattan 318 00:15:37,042 --> 00:15:39,167 in the early 20th century. 319 00:15:39,167 --> 00:15:41,375 It really was this sort of place 320 00:15:41,375 --> 00:15:44,042 where ordinary people and kind of the rich 321 00:15:44,042 --> 00:15:46,333 and famous could sort of hobnob together. 322 00:15:46,333 --> 00:15:50,292 - Broadway stars and movie stars, high powered businessmen, 323 00:15:50,292 --> 00:15:52,750 rubbed elbows over his unique 324 00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:54,417 and delicious dishes, 325 00:15:54,417 --> 00:15:58,958 many of which were inspired by his European heritage. 326 00:15:58,958 --> 00:16:01,500 - [Sarah] Very classic Jewish foods. 327 00:16:03,042 --> 00:16:07,417 - [Adam] Duck and red cabbage, matza ball soup, apple pancakes, 328 00:16:07,417 --> 00:16:12,750 and of course, arguably his most famous creation, 329 00:16:12,750 --> 00:16:17,542 the Reuben sandwich: grilled rye, corned beef, 330 00:16:17,542 --> 00:16:21,708 Swiss, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. 331 00:16:21,708 --> 00:16:22,875 - [Brooke] Reuben was a foodie. 332 00:16:22,875 --> 00:16:24,833 He also loved to host dinner parties 333 00:16:24,833 --> 00:16:26,083 at his Manhattan apartment, 334 00:16:26,083 --> 00:16:28,042 so if his friends are gonna bring him a recipe 335 00:16:28,042 --> 00:16:30,042 that he feels like hits nail on the head, 336 00:16:30,042 --> 00:16:31,375 he's gonna borrow it. 337 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:35,000 - All right, I brought something a little different tonight. 338 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:36,875 It's a recipe from my cousin in Brooklyn. 339 00:16:36,875 --> 00:16:38,250 It's cheese pie. 340 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:40,542 - Cheese pie? 341 00:16:41,417 --> 00:16:43,000 - Trust me, you're gonna love it. 342 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,375 Okay, has fresh ricotta. 343 00:16:45,792 --> 00:16:49,583 - One of the guests brought a cheese pie for dessert. 344 00:16:49,583 --> 00:16:51,625 - [Erin] Savory cheese pies were big in Europe, 345 00:16:51,625 --> 00:16:53,500 but not big in America. 346 00:16:57,583 --> 00:17:00,667 - It's not very sweet, but it's interesting. 347 00:17:02,542 --> 00:17:04,708 [tense music] 348 00:17:04,708 --> 00:17:07,042 - [Narrator] Inspired by the savory cheese pie, 349 00:17:07,042 --> 00:17:10,542 Reuben begins work on his next big idea. 350 00:17:11,875 --> 00:17:14,750 - [Adam] Much in the same way that Reuben would repurpose 351 00:17:14,750 --> 00:17:18,250 sort of hardy peasant dishes from his homeland. 352 00:17:18,250 --> 00:17:21,375 Reuben would prove that reinvention and reinterpretation 353 00:17:21,375 --> 00:17:25,125 culinarily was his strongest talent. 354 00:17:25,125 --> 00:17:27,333 - [Narrator] While the idea of a cheese pie 355 00:17:27,333 --> 00:17:29,542 for dessert would be foreign to most Americans, 356 00:17:29,542 --> 00:17:33,583 Reuben believes a more decadent version could be a hit. 357 00:17:33,583 --> 00:17:36,583 - Reuben wanted to create this dish with a different cheese 358 00:17:36,583 --> 00:17:40,792 that would be a more velvety, smooth, creamy texture. 359 00:17:40,792 --> 00:17:45,833 So he ditched the cottage cheese and he used cream cheese. 360 00:17:48,167 --> 00:17:51,000 - [Erin] Reuben wants to make something that's going to appeal 361 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,167 to the customers of his restaurant. 362 00:17:57,208 --> 00:18:00,542 People love sweets and they love rich pies. 363 00:18:01,875 --> 00:18:04,375 - [Narrator] And when he adds generous amounts of sugar, 364 00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:08,458 it's sweet enough to make it unmistakably a dessert. 365 00:18:10,583 --> 00:18:14,458 - Because it was one, cohesive style of cake 366 00:18:14,458 --> 00:18:17,708 as opposed to a filling put into a pie crust, 367 00:18:17,708 --> 00:18:21,167 you have a cheesecake, not a cheese pie. 368 00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:26,000 - [Narrator] He calls his creation Reuben's cheese cake. 369 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,042 - It was something the likes of which 370 00:18:28,042 --> 00:18:30,125 no one in New York had had, 371 00:18:30,125 --> 00:18:33,625 and everyone in New York wanted to try. 372 00:18:33,625 --> 00:18:37,500 - [Narrator] By the late 1930s, it becomes the talk of New York. 373 00:18:37,500 --> 00:18:39,833 - Suddenly, other restaurants wanted in 374 00:18:39,833 --> 00:18:42,458 on Reuben's cheese cake, 375 00:18:42,458 --> 00:18:45,625 famously New York icon Lindy's Restaurant, 376 00:18:45,625 --> 00:18:48,417 which was a Broadway hotspot since the 1920s. 377 00:18:48,417 --> 00:18:51,458 They added their own version of cheesecake 378 00:18:51,458 --> 00:18:54,208 to the menu, and then a decade later, 379 00:18:54,208 --> 00:18:58,542 Junior's debuted their version of cheesecake. 380 00:18:58,542 --> 00:19:00,875 - [Narrator] Reuben's cream cheese based creation 381 00:19:00,875 --> 00:19:04,125 would soon become known as New York cheesecake, 382 00:19:05,208 --> 00:19:08,083 but the whole country is about to claim it. 383 00:19:08,083 --> 00:19:09,875 - [Adam] Executives at Kraft Foods, 384 00:19:09,875 --> 00:19:14,208 who owned the Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand, 385 00:19:14,208 --> 00:19:17,167 suddenly saw the rise in popularity 386 00:19:17,167 --> 00:19:20,958 of this cream cheese-based New York cheesecake, 387 00:19:20,958 --> 00:19:23,458 and they saw an opportunity there. 388 00:19:23,458 --> 00:19:26,542 - [Narrator] What comes next will take a regional dessert 389 00:19:26,542 --> 00:19:28,292 and turn it into a $21 billion American obsession. 390 00:19:28,292 --> 00:19:30,833 and turn it into a $21 billion American obsession. 391 00:19:38,792 --> 00:19:40,458 - [Narrator] In the 1930s, 392 00:19:40,458 --> 00:19:43,958 Kraft spots a dessert on the rise in New York, 393 00:19:43,958 --> 00:19:48,458 one powered by the company's own top selling product. 394 00:19:48,458 --> 00:19:51,333 - Philadelphia Cream Cheese isn't the only cream cheese, 395 00:19:51,333 --> 00:19:54,583 but their name is synonymous with cream cheese. 396 00:19:54,583 --> 00:19:55,750 - [Narrator] To capitalize 397 00:19:55,750 --> 00:19:57,792 on the success of New York cheesecake, 398 00:19:57,792 --> 00:20:01,250 Kraft launches a national advertising campaign, 399 00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:03,958 which includes Philadelphia cake, 400 00:20:03,958 --> 00:20:05,625 a cheesecake recipe using 401 00:20:05,625 --> 00:20:09,583 five and a half blocks of Philadelphia cream cheese. 402 00:20:09,583 --> 00:20:12,917 - Cream cheese alone, that block of cream cheese, 403 00:20:12,917 --> 00:20:16,583 you know, you might love the way the box opens 404 00:20:16,583 --> 00:20:19,208 and you peel back the foil wrapper, 405 00:20:19,208 --> 00:20:20,875 but the likelihood of you eating 406 00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:25,333 an entire block of cream cheese is probably slim to none. 407 00:20:25,333 --> 00:20:27,292 You're gonna put it on a bagel, 408 00:20:27,292 --> 00:20:29,208 you're gonna do something else with it. 409 00:20:29,208 --> 00:20:32,042 But when you create a recipe that calls 410 00:20:32,042 --> 00:20:35,292 for several blocks of cream cheese 411 00:20:35,292 --> 00:20:38,250 and you're Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 412 00:20:38,250 --> 00:20:42,708 you're creating a totally different world, right? 413 00:20:42,708 --> 00:20:45,125 Oh, you're giving somebody an excuse 414 00:20:45,125 --> 00:20:47,875 to buy three blocks as opposed to one. 415 00:20:49,208 --> 00:20:50,583 - [Narrator] While the name Philadelphia cake 416 00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:54,208 doesn't take hold, the dessert itself does. 417 00:20:54,208 --> 00:20:57,042 - In the '40s and the '50s, Kraft's expanding distribution 418 00:20:57,042 --> 00:21:01,208 spread the recipe and its popularity even further, 419 00:21:01,208 --> 00:21:03,250 eventually even putting a recipe 420 00:21:03,250 --> 00:21:05,542 right on the package itself. 421 00:21:05,542 --> 00:21:09,375 - Suddenly, cheesecake is not just the specialty dessert 422 00:21:09,375 --> 00:21:11,375 that you get in a New York City restaurant, 423 00:21:11,375 --> 00:21:13,417 it's something that you can make at home. 424 00:21:15,042 --> 00:21:17,375 [pensive music] 425 00:21:21,417 --> 00:21:23,792 - Alright, moment of truth. 426 00:21:25,208 --> 00:21:26,708 - [Narrator] In a Chicago kitchen, 427 00:21:26,708 --> 00:21:28,833 a bakery owner has been experimenting 428 00:21:28,833 --> 00:21:30,958 with a cheesecake recipe of his own. 429 00:21:32,042 --> 00:21:34,542 - In 1935, Charles Lubin 430 00:21:34,542 --> 00:21:37,375 and his brother-in-law pooled all of their money 431 00:21:37,375 --> 00:21:39,833 and came up with $700. 432 00:21:39,833 --> 00:21:43,125 They then borrowed an additional $800, 433 00:21:43,125 --> 00:21:44,833 and with that 1,500, 434 00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:47,958 they bought three independent bakeries in Chicago, 435 00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:51,583 which they renamed Community Bake Shops. 436 00:21:51,583 --> 00:21:52,875 - [Narrator] But recently, 437 00:21:52,875 --> 00:21:54,875 his brother-in-law has left the business 438 00:21:54,875 --> 00:21:58,500 completely in Lubin's hands, and to keep it growing, 439 00:21:58,500 --> 00:22:01,125 he's looking to add something new to the menu. 440 00:22:01,125 --> 00:22:02,708 - You think I finally got it? 441 00:22:02,708 --> 00:22:05,708 I was going for something lighter, a little smoother. 442 00:22:05,708 --> 00:22:08,708 - Lubin loves to test out his recipes at home, 443 00:22:08,708 --> 00:22:11,833 and he often uses his daughter as a taste tester. 444 00:22:11,833 --> 00:22:12,875 - It's so good. 445 00:22:14,333 --> 00:22:16,292 Can we sell it at the bakery? 446 00:22:16,292 --> 00:22:20,125 - That's the plan, and I felt maybe I'd name it 447 00:22:20,125 --> 00:22:21,875 after my best helper. 448 00:22:21,875 --> 00:22:22,958 - Who's that? 449 00:22:24,375 --> 00:22:26,000 - You, Sara Lee. 450 00:22:28,625 --> 00:22:31,792 - [Narrator] With his recipe set, Lubin adds cheesecake 451 00:22:31,792 --> 00:22:36,708 to his bakery menu and it soon becomes a bestseller. 452 00:22:36,708 --> 00:22:38,875 - The cheesecakes themselves are so popular 453 00:22:38,875 --> 00:22:41,958 that in 1949, Lubin changes the name of the bakeries 454 00:22:41,958 --> 00:22:46,417 from Community Bake Shops to the Kitchens of Sara Lee. 455 00:22:47,583 --> 00:22:50,458 - [Narrator] The cheesecakes sell for 79 cents each, 456 00:22:50,458 --> 00:22:53,375 and in just one year, the kitchens of Sara Lee 457 00:22:53,375 --> 00:22:58,000 gross $400,000 on cheesecakes alone. 458 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,042 [intense music] 459 00:23:01,208 --> 00:23:03,208 [phone ringing] 460 00:23:03,208 --> 00:23:04,375 - [Lubin] Hello? 461 00:23:06,750 --> 00:23:09,333 - One day, a buyer from Texas visits Chicago, 462 00:23:09,333 --> 00:23:12,708 samples the cheesecake, loves it, wants it, 463 00:23:12,708 --> 00:23:15,292 and says, "Can you ship this to me in Texas?" 464 00:23:15,292 --> 00:23:17,792 - Texas? Unfortunately, we don't ship. 465 00:23:17,792 --> 00:23:20,583 You know, the cake's fresh. 466 00:23:20,583 --> 00:23:23,917 - Lubin explains that these cheesecakes are made 467 00:23:23,917 --> 00:23:25,625 with no preservatives, 468 00:23:25,625 --> 00:23:29,042 and these fresh dairy ingredients won't stay fresh 469 00:23:29,042 --> 00:23:31,917 long enough to make the journey to Texas. 470 00:23:33,417 --> 00:23:34,833 - There are really only three ways 471 00:23:34,833 --> 00:23:37,875 that a person could have access to this type of item: 472 00:23:37,875 --> 00:23:40,500 to purchase it in a restaurant, 473 00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:42,458 to purchase it directly from a bakery 474 00:23:42,458 --> 00:23:44,792 or to make it at home themselves. 475 00:23:46,042 --> 00:23:48,625 - And there were no real insulated packages 476 00:23:48,625 --> 00:23:51,042 that could really retain the temperature 477 00:23:51,042 --> 00:23:53,625 and the freshness of these baked goods, 478 00:23:53,625 --> 00:23:57,167 especially ones that were dairy heavy like cheesecake 479 00:23:57,167 --> 00:23:59,625 and extremely prone to spoilage. 480 00:23:59,625 --> 00:24:02,125 - Believe me, if I could find a way to ship these, 481 00:24:02,125 --> 00:24:03,667 I'd be a very rich man. 482 00:24:04,542 --> 00:24:05,917 - Suddenly, Lubin realizes 483 00:24:05,917 --> 00:24:08,958 that he's leaving money on the table. 484 00:24:12,083 --> 00:24:13,958 - [Narrator] This will set Lubin on a path 485 00:24:13,958 --> 00:24:17,125 that will give rise to an iconic global juggernaut, 486 00:24:21,083 --> 00:24:24,750 generating $17 billion in annual sales 487 00:24:24,750 --> 00:24:28,208 and changing the way Americans eat dessert at home. 488 00:24:29,750 --> 00:24:31,542 But first, he'll have to figure out 489 00:24:31,542 --> 00:24:33,542 how to do the impossible. 490 00:24:33,542 --> 00:24:35,875 [dramatic music] 491 00:24:38,917 --> 00:24:42,042 300 miles east, a housewife is experimenting 492 00:24:42,042 --> 00:24:43,208 with a new recipe, 493 00:24:43,208 --> 00:24:46,125 one she hopes will impress her husband's boss. 494 00:24:47,542 --> 00:24:49,167 - Hope you saved room for dessert. 495 00:24:51,042 --> 00:24:52,417 - Is that a cheesecake? 496 00:24:52,417 --> 00:24:54,708 - I found a recipe in the paper last week, 497 00:24:54,708 --> 00:24:56,625 tinkered around with it a little bit. 498 00:24:58,750 --> 00:25:01,542 - [Jason] So Evelyn Overton is a woman 499 00:25:01,542 --> 00:25:05,792 who finds a cheesecake recipe in a Detroit newspaper 500 00:25:05,792 --> 00:25:10,625 in the 1940s, and she uses that recipe as the basis 501 00:25:10,625 --> 00:25:13,583 for her own personal cheesecake recipe. 502 00:25:13,583 --> 00:25:15,375 - I've had cheesecake at Lindy's in New York, 503 00:25:15,375 --> 00:25:16,750 and this is better. 504 00:25:17,708 --> 00:25:20,000 You think you can make a bunch of them? 505 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,750 I'd pay you for it. 506 00:25:22,708 --> 00:25:24,333 - She literally hears the same thing 507 00:25:24,333 --> 00:25:27,125 over and over again, which is, 508 00:25:27,125 --> 00:25:30,875 "Your cheesecake is so good. 509 00:25:30,875 --> 00:25:33,125 You should do this professionally." 510 00:25:33,125 --> 00:25:36,625 - [Narrator] For Evelyn, it's an idea 511 00:25:36,625 --> 00:25:38,500 that will one day power the creation 512 00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:41,083 of an international restaurant giant, 513 00:25:42,500 --> 00:25:44,792 generating over $3 billion a year 514 00:25:46,458 --> 00:25:50,208 and rewriting the rules of cheesecake and restaurants. 515 00:25:52,125 --> 00:25:55,167 But for now, it's just a farfetched dream. 516 00:26:01,583 --> 00:26:03,042 - [Narrator] It's 1952 517 00:26:03,042 --> 00:26:05,958 and Charles Lubin's cheesecakes are a hit, 518 00:26:05,958 --> 00:26:07,375 but he's limited to selling them 519 00:26:07,375 --> 00:26:09,833 only in his Chicago bakeries. 520 00:26:09,833 --> 00:26:10,958 To grow his business, he knows he needs to find a way 521 00:26:11,250 --> 00:26:12,708 To grow his business, he knows he needs to find a way 522 00:26:12,708 --> 00:26:15,333 to ship his fresh desserts. 523 00:26:15,333 --> 00:26:18,750 - Bakery products have a shelf life of about a day. 524 00:26:18,750 --> 00:26:21,917 You go to your local bakery, you buy that bread. 525 00:26:21,917 --> 00:26:25,875 Man, is that bread incredible out of the bag that day, 526 00:26:25,875 --> 00:26:28,208 but by the next day, not so much, 527 00:26:28,208 --> 00:26:31,000 and then by day three, it's in the garbage. 528 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,917 - How are we gonna monetize this 529 00:26:32,917 --> 00:26:34,417 by getting this product everywhere? 530 00:26:34,417 --> 00:26:36,042 Well, we've got freezing. 531 00:26:36,042 --> 00:26:38,875 Of course, that makes perfect sense. We're gonna freeze it. 532 00:26:38,875 --> 00:26:40,500 - [Narrator] But the frozen food industry 533 00:26:40,500 --> 00:26:42,875 is still in its infancy, 534 00:26:42,875 --> 00:26:47,042 and the concept of frozen baked goods doesn't yet exist. 535 00:26:47,042 --> 00:26:49,625 - Freezing was almost exclusively reserved 536 00:26:49,625 --> 00:26:52,083 for vegetables and for meats. 537 00:26:52,083 --> 00:26:55,375 - Some frozen foods are much more accessible than others. 538 00:26:55,375 --> 00:26:59,833 When you get multiple ingredient desserts like pies, 539 00:26:59,833 --> 00:27:03,417 like cheesecakes, things where you have different densities 540 00:27:03,417 --> 00:27:06,542 of foods that are gonna react differently to freezing, 541 00:27:06,542 --> 00:27:08,875 it becomes much more complicated. 542 00:27:08,875 --> 00:27:11,125 - [Lloyd] Freezing of dairy and baked goods is 543 00:27:11,125 --> 00:27:14,042 incredibly difficult, and this is largely because 544 00:27:14,042 --> 00:27:16,208 of the water content of these products 545 00:27:16,208 --> 00:27:18,375 and the fat content of these products. 546 00:27:18,375 --> 00:27:20,792 So it looked great when you put it in the freezer, 547 00:27:20,792 --> 00:27:21,917 it would've tasted great. 548 00:27:21,917 --> 00:27:23,375 Now you put it in the freezer, 549 00:27:23,375 --> 00:27:25,458 the water goes from a liquid to a solid 550 00:27:25,458 --> 00:27:29,250 and breaks apart the entire structure of that product, 551 00:27:29,250 --> 00:27:31,167 just like your pipes burst 552 00:27:31,167 --> 00:27:33,417 when the water freezes in those pipes. 553 00:27:39,125 --> 00:27:42,708 - When the cheesecake would thaw, you would deal with 554 00:27:42,708 --> 00:27:45,167 moisture weeping, sogginess, 555 00:27:45,167 --> 00:27:47,917 or even separation within the cheese itself, 556 00:27:47,917 --> 00:27:51,583 creating something fairly gross. 557 00:27:51,583 --> 00:27:54,750 - So that had to start a concept of, okay, 558 00:27:54,750 --> 00:27:56,292 how do we understand freezing 559 00:27:56,292 --> 00:27:59,083 and how do we get a product that is frozen 560 00:27:59,083 --> 00:28:01,500 and then thawed out and still has the same characteristics 561 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:04,333 as it did when we initially made the product? 562 00:28:12,583 --> 00:28:13,917 - [Narrator] Lubin takes his inspiration 563 00:28:13,917 --> 00:28:15,917 from frozen vegetables, 564 00:28:15,917 --> 00:28:19,750 one of the only successful frozen food items on the market. 565 00:28:19,750 --> 00:28:22,708 - [Adam] In the 1920s, a man by the name of Clarence Birdseye 566 00:28:22,708 --> 00:28:24,333 created a revolutionary method 567 00:28:24,333 --> 00:28:27,625 for preserving foods, called flash freezing. 568 00:28:27,625 --> 00:28:29,708 He famously was ice fishing, 569 00:28:29,708 --> 00:28:31,917 and when he pulled the fish out of the water, 570 00:28:31,917 --> 00:28:34,917 it froze solid almost instantly, 571 00:28:34,917 --> 00:28:38,125 and he was astonished that when he reheated it later on, 572 00:28:38,125 --> 00:28:42,292 it was as fresh-tasting as though he had just caught it. 573 00:28:42,292 --> 00:28:45,042 After several rounds of experimentation, 574 00:28:45,042 --> 00:28:48,792 he realized that a quick freezing process 575 00:28:48,792 --> 00:28:52,000 under pressure created a fresher product 576 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:56,500 and a product that would reheat or reconstitute better. 577 00:28:56,500 --> 00:28:59,125 - [Narrator] But a dense dairy cake is different. 578 00:29:00,458 --> 00:29:03,333 In order to flash freeze it immediately from the oven, 579 00:29:03,333 --> 00:29:08,167 Lubin would need a pan he can bake, freeze, and ship it in. 580 00:29:08,167 --> 00:29:10,667 - [Chirag] Basically, he needs a disposable baking tin, 581 00:29:10,667 --> 00:29:12,500 but that didn't really exist yet. 582 00:29:12,500 --> 00:29:15,167 But what did exist was tinfoil. 583 00:29:15,167 --> 00:29:17,042 - [Narrator] Lubin begins experimenting 584 00:29:17,042 --> 00:29:19,292 with creating foil baking pans 585 00:29:19,292 --> 00:29:21,958 for flash freezing his cheesecakes, 586 00:29:21,958 --> 00:29:25,375 - Lubin designed foil baking pans, 587 00:29:25,375 --> 00:29:28,667 essentially creating a disposable pan 588 00:29:28,667 --> 00:29:31,042 that he could bake the cheesecake in 589 00:29:31,042 --> 00:29:34,250 and ship it to the customers. 590 00:29:35,375 --> 00:29:37,042 - [Narrator] For the first time in history, 591 00:29:37,042 --> 00:29:40,208 cheesecakes are now available beyond restaurants, 592 00:29:40,208 --> 00:29:43,125 the bakery, or fresh out of the oven. 593 00:29:43,125 --> 00:29:45,792 - [Beth] They can sit in a freezer for six months, 594 00:29:45,792 --> 00:29:48,167 then land on somebody's counter 595 00:29:48,167 --> 00:29:50,583 and be like you bought it from the bakery 596 00:29:50,583 --> 00:29:54,208 the next day, a total revolution, 597 00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,875 not only on the freezing side, 598 00:29:56,875 --> 00:29:59,083 but on the fact that they were packaging something 599 00:29:59,083 --> 00:30:00,792 that was like, just perfect 600 00:30:00,792 --> 00:30:03,792 from a freezing technology standpoint. 601 00:30:03,792 --> 00:30:05,208 - [Narrator] By the mid 1950s, 602 00:30:05,208 --> 00:30:08,250 Sara Lee expands their frozen line 603 00:30:08,250 --> 00:30:11,667 and their all butter pound cake becomes a smash hit, 604 00:30:11,667 --> 00:30:14,250 second only to their cheesecake, 605 00:30:14,250 --> 00:30:18,500 - And suddenly, Sara Lee has created a whole new category 606 00:30:18,500 --> 00:30:22,875 in the American food landscape, frozen pastries. 607 00:30:22,875 --> 00:30:26,167 - Think about the frozen section at that time, right? 608 00:30:26,167 --> 00:30:28,500 What's in the freezer section? 609 00:30:28,500 --> 00:30:30,042 Well, there's ice cream, 610 00:30:30,042 --> 00:30:32,917 there's just starting to be vegetables, 611 00:30:32,917 --> 00:30:34,875 thank you, Birdseye, 612 00:30:34,875 --> 00:30:36,917 and then all of a sudden you see a cheesecake, 613 00:30:36,917 --> 00:30:40,583 and it's packaged in a proper bakery box? 614 00:30:40,583 --> 00:30:44,583 That must have just been kind of wild to see, right? 615 00:30:44,583 --> 00:30:47,792 - It was an incredible step forward in terms of convenience, 616 00:30:47,792 --> 00:30:50,833 and Sara Lee was the pioneer of it. 617 00:30:52,208 --> 00:30:56,208 - [Narrator] In 1956, Lubin sells the Kitchens of Sara Lee 618 00:30:56,208 --> 00:31:00,500 to Consolidated Foods for $2.8 million, 619 00:31:00,500 --> 00:31:02,417 more than 30 million today. 620 00:31:02,417 --> 00:31:07,042 - Consolidated Foods at this time was a major wholesaler 621 00:31:07,042 --> 00:31:10,083 and distributor, and they were able to provide Sara Lee 622 00:31:10,083 --> 00:31:14,375 with the freezers and the refrigeration in mobile transit 623 00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:16,458 as much as in distribution, holding, 624 00:31:16,458 --> 00:31:20,583 and point of sale, that they required to get their cheesecake 625 00:31:20,583 --> 00:31:23,875 and all of their confections from coast to coast. 626 00:31:23,875 --> 00:31:25,458 - [Narrator] By the late 1960s, 627 00:31:25,458 --> 00:31:29,083 Sara Lee's logo is famous in freezer isles, 628 00:31:29,083 --> 00:31:31,375 and their jingle in American homes, 629 00:31:31,375 --> 00:31:34,542 inspiring millions to eat more cheesecake. 630 00:31:34,542 --> 00:31:36,542 - "Everybody doesn't like something..." 631 00:31:37,542 --> 00:31:42,292 ♪ But nobody doesn't like Sara Lee ♪ 632 00:31:44,833 --> 00:31:48,042 - [Narrator] As Sara Lee's cheesecakes sweep the nation, 633 00:31:48,042 --> 00:31:50,500 Evelyn Overton takes notice, 634 00:31:50,500 --> 00:31:53,292 because long before cheesecakes went national, 635 00:31:53,292 --> 00:31:54,667 she'd been making her own. 636 00:31:57,417 --> 00:32:00,500 Two decades earlier, Evelyn had turned her passion 637 00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:04,333 for baking into a small cheesecake business 638 00:32:04,333 --> 00:32:06,375 with more orders than she could handle 639 00:32:06,375 --> 00:32:09,083 as a busy mother and housewife. 640 00:32:09,083 --> 00:32:10,750 - Everyone loved her cheesecakes. 641 00:32:10,750 --> 00:32:12,458 The demand was high. 642 00:32:12,458 --> 00:32:15,833 - [Jason] So she got into the business of making cheesecakes 643 00:32:15,833 --> 00:32:18,542 as gifts, and eventually, 644 00:32:18,542 --> 00:32:21,750 she does a pretty swift business of this. 645 00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:24,917 But at a certain point, she retires from making cheesecakes 646 00:32:24,917 --> 00:32:27,208 because she wants to take care of her kids. 647 00:32:31,875 --> 00:32:33,167 - [Narrator] She doesn't know it yet, 648 00:32:33,167 --> 00:32:36,417 but her abandoned bakery dream will soon 649 00:32:36,417 --> 00:32:39,625 become a multi-billion dollar restaurant empire. 650 00:32:39,625 --> 00:32:41,958 [intense music] 651 00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:50,375 - [Narrator] It's 1971, 652 00:32:50,375 --> 00:32:53,208 and housewife Evelyn Overton has been inspired 653 00:32:53,208 --> 00:32:54,625 to get back into baking. 654 00:32:55,750 --> 00:32:57,042 - What's the occasion? 655 00:32:57,042 --> 00:32:58,750 You haven't made your cheesecake in years. 656 00:32:58,750 --> 00:33:00,167 - Visit from my son. 657 00:33:01,167 --> 00:33:03,208 And trying to lure you into coming home more often. 658 00:33:04,833 --> 00:33:08,167 - Have you ever thought of going back into business? 659 00:33:08,167 --> 00:33:11,292 Cheesecakes have never been more popular. 660 00:33:11,292 --> 00:33:14,875 - [Sarah] David Overton grew up not particularly wealthy, 661 00:33:14,875 --> 00:33:20,042 but his mom became very locally famous for her desserts, 662 00:33:20,042 --> 00:33:22,417 particularly her cheesecake. 663 00:33:22,417 --> 00:33:23,625 - [Adam] Since he was a child, 664 00:33:23,625 --> 00:33:25,875 David wanted to be a rock and roll star, 665 00:33:25,875 --> 00:33:27,750 but he found the music business tough. 666 00:33:27,750 --> 00:33:29,333 So he sort of hedged his bets 667 00:33:29,333 --> 00:33:31,667 and attended law school in California, 668 00:33:31,667 --> 00:33:36,083 but after a year, he realized it wasn't for him. 669 00:33:36,083 --> 00:33:38,375 - [Narrator] But David suddenly sees an opportunity 670 00:33:38,375 --> 00:33:41,042 for a lucrative family business. 671 00:33:41,042 --> 00:33:42,208 - All the restaurants in LA 672 00:33:42,208 --> 00:33:44,417 want cheesecakes on their dessert menus. 673 00:33:44,417 --> 00:33:47,917 - The thing that's happening in LA versus Detroit 674 00:33:47,917 --> 00:33:52,125 is it's kind of on the cutting edge of food in many ways 675 00:33:52,125 --> 00:33:53,375 at this time. 676 00:33:53,375 --> 00:33:56,750 You have a real innovative hub 677 00:33:56,750 --> 00:33:58,708 of food happening, 678 00:33:58,708 --> 00:34:02,375 and if you think about where sushi got its start, 679 00:34:02,375 --> 00:34:04,375 you think about the health food movement. 680 00:34:04,375 --> 00:34:06,458 You think about all these different things converging, 681 00:34:06,458 --> 00:34:08,708 it's all happening in LA in the 1970s. 682 00:34:08,708 --> 00:34:12,042 - David comes up with this idea to open a bakery in LA 683 00:34:12,042 --> 00:34:13,417 that just solely serves 684 00:34:13,417 --> 00:34:15,958 his mom's cheesecakes to restaurants. 685 00:34:15,958 --> 00:34:17,583 - But the really important thing to note is 686 00:34:17,583 --> 00:34:20,583 that her and her husband live in Detroit, Michigan. 687 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,083 - Ultimately, David convinces his parents to move to LA 688 00:34:26,083 --> 00:34:27,833 and open a bakery there, 689 00:34:27,833 --> 00:34:31,292 and in 1972, with the very last of their savings, 690 00:34:31,292 --> 00:34:32,458 they make the move. 691 00:34:36,875 --> 00:34:38,583 - Their plan is simple, 692 00:34:38,583 --> 00:34:41,583 it's to sell cheesecakes wholesale to local restaurants. 693 00:34:41,583 --> 00:34:43,667 With the bustling restaurants scene in LA, 694 00:34:43,667 --> 00:34:46,292 they're hoping it'll be a much less risky proposition 695 00:34:46,292 --> 00:34:48,167 than opening a retail bakery. 696 00:34:49,208 --> 00:34:50,500 - [Narrator] They call their business 697 00:34:50,500 --> 00:34:53,083 The Cheesecake Factory Bakery. 698 00:34:54,292 --> 00:34:56,083 - David, come have a look at this. 699 00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:01,375 I decided to get a little creative. 700 00:35:02,375 --> 00:35:04,542 What do you think, too much? 701 00:35:04,542 --> 00:35:06,333 - At this time, you might have seen 702 00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:08,167 some fruit toppings on cheesecakes here and there, 703 00:35:08,167 --> 00:35:09,458 but for the most part, 704 00:35:09,458 --> 00:35:12,000 cheesecake was considered so rich on its own 705 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:14,000 that it was just served plain. 706 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:15,250 - Too much? 707 00:35:17,833 --> 00:35:19,250 What else can you put on them? 708 00:35:21,708 --> 00:35:24,708 - Evelyn starts experimenting, adding crazy things 709 00:35:24,708 --> 00:35:25,833 to her cheesecakes, 710 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:27,875 and she's really creating this level of decadence 711 00:35:27,875 --> 00:35:29,625 that didn't really exist before. 712 00:35:30,750 --> 00:35:32,667 - [Narrator] But for all her innovation, 713 00:35:32,667 --> 00:35:36,583 the restaurant industry remains unconvinced. 714 00:35:36,583 --> 00:35:38,125 - Two dozen. 715 00:35:38,125 --> 00:35:39,875 What flavor? 716 00:35:39,875 --> 00:35:41,333 All plain? 717 00:35:41,333 --> 00:35:44,500 We have strawberry, chocolate, caramel? 718 00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:45,625 Plain it is. 719 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,917 - The Overtons' family business did have one major problem. 720 00:35:49,917 --> 00:35:53,417 They were making way too many varieties of cheesecake. 721 00:35:54,917 --> 00:35:56,667 - All people want is plain. 722 00:35:56,667 --> 00:35:59,792 - Most restaurants would order one or maybe two varieties. 723 00:35:59,792 --> 00:36:02,625 The idea of having a dozen or more varieties 724 00:36:02,625 --> 00:36:07,542 of cheesecake was both taking money, 725 00:36:07,542 --> 00:36:10,458 time, and resources out of the bakery itself, 726 00:36:10,458 --> 00:36:12,667 and there was no market for it. 727 00:36:12,667 --> 00:36:15,333 - But she knows that this can sell. 728 00:36:15,333 --> 00:36:17,417 - We can't keep on making all these crazy flavors 729 00:36:17,417 --> 00:36:19,375 if the restaurants aren't buying them. 730 00:36:20,542 --> 00:36:23,583 - Eventually, David says, "Wait a minute." 731 00:36:24,625 --> 00:36:26,708 - Let's open up our own restaurant. 732 00:36:27,708 --> 00:36:30,042 - We don't know how to run a restaurant. 733 00:36:30,042 --> 00:36:32,208 What would we even serve? 734 00:36:32,208 --> 00:36:34,833 - Who cares? The draw will be this. 735 00:36:37,667 --> 00:36:42,458 - Here's the idea, Cheesecake Factory Restaurant. 736 00:36:42,458 --> 00:36:45,667 - You wanna open a restaurant based entirely on cheesecake? 737 00:36:45,667 --> 00:36:49,167 - He thinks her cheesecakes are so good 738 00:36:49,167 --> 00:36:50,917 that they can actually open up a restaurant 739 00:36:50,917 --> 00:36:52,375 built around them. 740 00:36:52,375 --> 00:36:54,208 Now, this goes against what a lot of people think 741 00:36:54,208 --> 00:36:55,500 is good business. 742 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:57,542 30 flavors of cheesecake? 743 00:36:57,542 --> 00:36:58,875 - Why not? 744 00:36:58,875 --> 00:37:00,542 - [Brooke] For all intents and purposes, 745 00:37:00,542 --> 00:37:03,208 a dessert only restaurant should not work. 746 00:37:11,167 --> 00:37:12,958 - [Narrator] At her wholesale bakery, 747 00:37:12,958 --> 00:37:14,750 Evelyn Overton's growing stable 748 00:37:14,750 --> 00:37:17,375 of innovative cheesecake flavors aren't selling 749 00:37:17,375 --> 00:37:19,875 with local restaurant owners. 750 00:37:19,875 --> 00:37:22,750 So her son, David, suggests a radical move: 751 00:37:23,958 --> 00:37:26,542 open their own restaurant built around them. 752 00:37:26,542 --> 00:37:29,500 - No more selling to every restaurant in the city. 753 00:37:29,500 --> 00:37:34,000 And guess what? We're gonna put 30 cheesecakes on the menu. 754 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,292 - She's trying to do something bigger and different 755 00:37:36,292 --> 00:37:38,250 and really use the cheesecake as a canvas 756 00:37:38,250 --> 00:37:40,250 for all these different and new flavors. 757 00:37:41,583 --> 00:37:43,500 - [Narrator] Despite having no restaurant experience, 758 00:37:43,500 --> 00:37:46,833 the Overtons go all in on their son's business idea. 759 00:37:46,833 --> 00:37:50,875 They call it The Cheesecake Factory. 760 00:37:51,875 --> 00:37:55,708 - In 1978, David Overton joins the family business 761 00:37:55,708 --> 00:37:58,750 in a big, bold way, opening the first ever 762 00:37:58,750 --> 00:38:02,375 Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, 763 00:38:02,375 --> 00:38:05,875 serving up all varieties of his mom's cheesecake, 764 00:38:05,875 --> 00:38:08,292 along with small thing,s like salads 765 00:38:08,292 --> 00:38:09,583 and appetizers and burgers, 766 00:38:09,583 --> 00:38:12,042 things that he could cook himself. 767 00:38:12,042 --> 00:38:14,833 - It's really one of the first theme restaurants, 768 00:38:14,833 --> 00:38:16,250 if you think about it, 769 00:38:16,250 --> 00:38:17,958 and certainly one of the only restaurants that's teasing 770 00:38:17,958 --> 00:38:20,208 with the dessert in the name. 771 00:38:20,208 --> 00:38:21,875 - It was really exciting to be confronted 772 00:38:21,875 --> 00:38:24,667 with so many options for cheesecake, 773 00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:28,292 most of which I'm sure not only had people never had, 774 00:38:28,292 --> 00:38:30,708 but had probably never heard of. 775 00:38:30,708 --> 00:38:33,292 - People hadn't really seen anything quite like this 776 00:38:33,292 --> 00:38:35,917 in the restaurant space, but he does it. 777 00:38:35,917 --> 00:38:39,208 And guess what? People line up for the place. 778 00:38:39,208 --> 00:38:40,958 It happens to just work. 779 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:45,375 - [Vallery] It gives your customers a reason to come back. 780 00:38:45,375 --> 00:38:46,667 They're gonna wanna come back 781 00:38:46,667 --> 00:38:49,417 and try some of those other flavors. 782 00:38:49,417 --> 00:38:51,792 So it was just a really brilliant marketing strategy 783 00:38:51,792 --> 00:38:54,833 and it set them apart from other restaurants. 784 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:56,583 - [Narrator] As the money pours in, 785 00:38:56,583 --> 00:38:59,958 the Overtons open a second restaurant in Marina del Rey, 786 00:39:01,333 --> 00:39:05,667 and by 1998, they have 25 stores nationwide. 787 00:39:06,792 --> 00:39:09,750 As the chain expands, so does their menu. 788 00:39:10,958 --> 00:39:13,542 - This is at a time where cuisine mixing on a menu 789 00:39:13,542 --> 00:39:15,250 is not really something that restaurants did 790 00:39:15,250 --> 00:39:17,375 outside of maybe a diner that would have like 791 00:39:17,375 --> 00:39:18,958 tacos and meatloaf. 792 00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:20,958 So the idea of adding everything under the sun 793 00:39:20,958 --> 00:39:23,208 to a cheesecake restaurant's menu 794 00:39:23,208 --> 00:39:25,417 was an absolutely novel idea. 795 00:39:26,375 --> 00:39:30,000 - The Cheesecake Factory menu is arguably 796 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,167 a restaurant icon in its own right. 797 00:39:34,167 --> 00:39:37,083 It's like, you know it's intense when cheesecakes alone 798 00:39:37,083 --> 00:39:39,125 take up three or four pages. 799 00:39:39,125 --> 00:39:40,792 - [Narrator] The Cheesecake Factory now has 800 00:39:40,792 --> 00:39:44,625 over 200 locations across the United States. 801 00:39:44,625 --> 00:39:48,917 Sales last year reached revenues of $3.7 billion. 802 00:39:50,042 --> 00:39:52,042 Their menu includes 200 items 803 00:39:52,042 --> 00:39:55,208 and more than 30 varieties of cheesecake. 804 00:39:55,208 --> 00:39:58,458 - Look, you can get a very simple cheesecake at any bakery. 805 00:39:58,458 --> 00:40:00,375 You can make a cheesecake at home, 806 00:40:00,375 --> 00:40:01,708 but you go to the restaurant 807 00:40:01,708 --> 00:40:04,500 and cheesecake becomes an elevated experience. 808 00:40:04,500 --> 00:40:07,292 It really established this sort of strange 809 00:40:07,292 --> 00:40:09,667 and yet wonderful scenario, 810 00:40:09,667 --> 00:40:13,625 and it's not quite like anything else you've ever seen. 811 00:40:13,625 --> 00:40:15,875 - [Narrator] Of course, before there could be 812 00:40:15,875 --> 00:40:18,750 a restaurant juggernaut based on cheesecake, 813 00:40:18,750 --> 00:40:22,958 Sara Lee had to make it a national icon. 814 00:40:22,958 --> 00:40:24,375 - The Sara Lee brand 815 00:40:24,375 --> 00:40:26,875 and its products became so iconic 816 00:40:26,875 --> 00:40:31,708 that in 1985, Consolidated Foods changed its name 817 00:40:31,708 --> 00:40:34,542 to the Sara Lee Corporation. 818 00:40:36,333 --> 00:40:40,208 - [Narrator] Today, Sara Lee operates in over 180 countries 819 00:40:40,208 --> 00:40:45,042 with nearly 155,000 employees worldwide 820 00:40:45,042 --> 00:40:48,333 and surpassed $17 billion in retail sales 821 00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:51,375 in just one year alone. 822 00:40:51,375 --> 00:40:55,875 Frozen cheesecakes are still the company's best sellers, 823 00:40:55,875 --> 00:40:57,958 but Sara Lee could never have existed 824 00:40:57,958 --> 00:41:00,458 without its essential ingredient. 825 00:41:01,792 --> 00:41:04,875 In 2024, Philadelphia Cream Cheese 826 00:41:04,875 --> 00:41:08,458 reported roughly $800 million in sales, 827 00:41:10,750 --> 00:41:14,000 and the company is valued at over 6 billion. 828 00:41:16,083 --> 00:41:17,458 - [Paul] The innovation of 829 00:41:17,458 --> 00:41:20,000 the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Company 830 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,375 is that a primary product was itself made into a brand. 831 00:41:24,375 --> 00:41:28,208 As far as I know, no one had made a cheese into a brand 832 00:41:28,208 --> 00:41:30,750 before the 1880s. 833 00:41:30,750 --> 00:41:33,125 - [Narrator] To this day, Philadelphia still controls 834 00:41:33,125 --> 00:41:38,167 68% of the cream cheese market in the United States. 835 00:41:39,708 --> 00:41:43,417 - I think cheesecake today is still a luxury product. 836 00:41:43,417 --> 00:41:45,083 Who doesn't look forward to going out 837 00:41:45,083 --> 00:41:47,333 to eat somewhere having a really nice steak, 838 00:41:47,333 --> 00:41:49,708 and then you gotta finish it off with a cheesecake. 839 00:41:49,708 --> 00:41:51,667 There isn't a top notch restaurant 840 00:41:51,667 --> 00:41:53,417 that doesn't have cheesecake on the menu, 841 00:41:53,417 --> 00:41:56,792 so it's so ubiquitous for Americans today. 842 00:41:58,042 --> 00:42:01,583 - I love a cheesecake that is caramelized at the top, 843 00:42:01,583 --> 00:42:05,458 so it has those beautiful little light brown spots, 844 00:42:05,458 --> 00:42:07,625 maybe the color of this dress. 845 00:42:08,833 --> 00:42:11,375 - As anyone who loves cheesecake knows, 846 00:42:11,375 --> 00:42:13,583 it can be very dangerous to have 847 00:42:13,583 --> 00:42:16,833 an entire cheesecake in your house. 848 00:42:16,833 --> 00:42:19,792 - Cheesecake is, was, and will always be 849 00:42:19,792 --> 00:42:22,417 something beloved, something respected, 850 00:42:22,417 --> 00:42:24,792 and something inexorably tied 851 00:42:24,792 --> 00:42:27,208 to the culinary identity of this nation.