Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort

Fred Thompson is a writer and food stylist who divides his time between Raleigh, North Carolina, and New York City. His career has taken him to the North, but Thompson remains true to his Southern roots, holding fast to his accent and love of all things Southern - especially food. Thompson trained at the Culinary Institute of America and became involved in print and television advertising before starting his own catering business in Raleigh, which he ran from 1988 to 1994. Today, Thompson works as a freelance food stylist, cooking instructor, and food, wine, and travel writer, and runs his own product- and recipe-development business. Thompson has written several cookbooks, including Iced Tea, Lemonade, Crazy for Crab, Barbecue Nation, and Hot Chocolate. Thompson publishes Edible Piedmont magazine, which focuses on food in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, with his wife, Belinda Ellis, who serves as the magazine's editor. He has been featured on NPR, and is a spokesperson for Lipton Cold Brew. Thompson writes "The Weekend Gourmet," a bi-weekly column in The Raleigh News & Observer. His work has appeared in Family Circle, Wine & Spirits, Fine Cooking, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. Thompson is also a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Southern Foodways Alliance.