For larvae of the moth Manduca sexta, initiation of a feeding bout is affected by both dietary experience and hunger state. Manduca larvae develop a strong preference for specific hosts only when they feed on plants in the family Solanaceae, otherwise they are polyphagous. This induced preference is due to a chemosensory tuning of taste receptor cells to a host-specific recognition cue as the larvae feed on solanaceous foliage. When larvae are hungry and receive sufficient chemosensory input, they will initiate a feeding bout. Chewing is driven by a central pattern generator in the subesophageal ganglion. Here, we present the effects of stimulating taste receptor cells with host and non-host plant compounds on the activation and control of the chewing motor pattern of larvae reared on host and non-host diets. Results are discussed in the context of the plasticity of feeding behavior, as modified by dietary experience and hunger state.