smorgasBOARD: A cultural and edible journey into skateboarding by Josh Sutton

ISBN: 978-1-8383421-2-8
150 Pages

Skateboarders obsess about all aspects of culture. From pants to music, all of the sensory array of life becomes part of our purview. Where to get a good bite when out in the streets is valuable info. A local’s shared knowledge of the best dollar slice or cheapest deli with the freshest bread is never received or passed on lightly. Skateboarders know as much as anyone: nourishment is important, and food is culture.

Cookbook writer Josh Sutton came to skateboarding late in life but was indoctrinated quickly into these cultural touchstones. His latest book, SmörgåsBOARD, is published through his own imprint, Red Fez Books, which currently has nine skateboard-authored books for sale. SmörgåsBOARD is part cookbook, part travelogue, and part memoir that highlights the connections between skateboarding and food. When Josh began skateboarding in his 50s, it opened up a whole new world for him, and he realized that the crisis of midlife could be mind-expanding rather than limiting. He is the first to admit that he will never even sniff at professionalism, let alone attempt to ollie up a curb, but finds his soul nourished by his experiences skating. Skateboarding feeds his mental state the way food feeds our bodies, and the connections were obvious to him.

After overcoming the self-consciousness of being the old guy at the park and learning how to drop in, Sutton found himself connected to the social movement side of skateboarding and volunteered with SkatePal. The first recipe in the book comes from this experience, and most of the cuisine throughout is a result of his subsequent skateboard-related travels. We are treated to beautifully simple recipes as varied as Moroccan fish tagine, rosti, or San Diego-inspired crab tacos. Sutton also plays around with the format, offering recipes for personalized job-site meals and one for a full skatepark. Beyond food, the well-researched essays feature concrete pouring tips, inadvertent travel etiquette, cultural history, health advice, and personal reflections.

But Sutton is no skateboard imperialist, and each section is accompanied by introductory essays that explain his reasons for being where he is and what he learned. He approaches the world and skateboarding as a curious outsider, eager and happy to learn. SmörgåsBOARD is peppered throughout with broader cultural connections to skateboarding, like the Dada art movement or a Mahmoud Darwish poem. The care and thought put into Sutton’s observations and skateboarding are mirrored by his illustrations, which depict the food and details of his travels with field-guide level precision and detail. The ending result is formidable, and SmörgåsBOARD’s full-size, full-color pages brim with an enthusiasm for skateboarding’s unending ability to offer surprise and growth.

– Abada

She won’t shout it from the rooftops, so we will. Natalie’s book is finally coming out. We’ll have a proper review soon, but you should just know that it’s going to be awesome, so pre-order it now.

Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides: A History of Badass Women Skateboarders by Natalie Porter

What others are saying about Natalie’s new book…

“A take-everywhere-and-read-it book that is an accomplished and accessible piece of research. Each chapter — which showcases the personal reflections, anecdotes, and backstories of remarkable women — is a banger. All thriller, no filler. Natalie Porter shreds through the grip-taped ceiling, which has often held back or obscured women’s contributions in skateboarding.” — Dr. Indigo Willing, sociologist and lead researcher of Skate, Create, Educate and Regenerate and co-author of Skateboarding, Power and Change

“With sharp research and a keen eye for the overlooked change-maker, Natalie Porter masterfully presents stories that document the fact that women have always been skateboarding, despite being routinely left out of the narrative. Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides entertains and enlightens — a must read.” — Betsy Gordon, curator of Ramp It Up: Skateboarding Culture in Native America and co-author of Four Wheels and a Board: The Smithsonian History of Skateboarding

“Reading Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides grounded me in a history I never knew I was part of. Natalie Porter has revealed just how many women came before me who built scenes, shaped culture, and pushed boundaries. This book reclaims a legacy that was always there but had been buried or erased. Thank you, Natalie, for giving us back our past and lighting the way forward.” — Annie Guglia, Olympic skateboarder