Tony Hawk is a pop culture icon.  The name, Tony Hawk  is synonymous with competitive skateboarding.  He made skateboarding cool, and then he made being an older skater cool as well.  He has a skateboard company – Birdhouse Projects, clothing line – Hawk Clothing, PlayStation video game – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, and he even has a rollercoaster named after him at Six Flags- Tony Hawk’s Big Spin. On top of this huge skateboarding empire, he also has four children who he somehow finds time to take care of. One of the coolest things about Tony Hawk, is that he was born and raised in the San Diego area and he still lives here. And he’s a foodie.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Super Steamer at Pannikin (Encinitas) with turkey and avo, large OJ and a large mocha.

Chicken kabob & hummus and Greek Corner Café (Carlsbad), and an iced tea.

Beef Pho from Kim’s Restaurant in Encinitas and an 8oz bottle of Coke (the best way to consume it).

Leftover chocolate shake that I made for my 10-year-old son at home.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

1. Market Del Mar
2. Nobu (as in Matsuhisa)
3. Ruth’s Chris
4. Flippin’ Pizza
5. Roberto’s

Open your fridge and list the first 5 things that you see:

Stonyfield Farms yogurt
Wheat bread
8oz Coca Cola bottles
Sake
Budweiser

Your favorite grocery store:

Jimbo’s

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

Tasting menu at Market Del Mar

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again:

Double Double

What do you want the readers to know about yourself:

I am a professional skateboarder and a self-proclaimed foodie. I have traveled the world and eaten at some of the finest restaurants, only to realize that Chef Carl at Market Del Mar is one of the best. I’ll eat anything he prepares, even salmon.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Last night, 9 pm — Linguini with diced chicken, red sauce, roma tomatoes, Anaheim chilies, garlic, onions. These were all vegetables from the garden. Three Coors Light beers.

This morning 5 am — One cup of coffee. 10 am — Huevos rancheros with rice, beans and flour tortillas.

This evening — BBQ at the neighbors: Hamburger, Fritos with veggie bean dip, three rice “pillows”, small bowl of olives, three Coors Light beers.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

JV’s Mexican Food on Morena Blvd. — Excellent food, large portions, low price, fast service. I can eat my huevos rancheros, read the Reader, and listen to ranchero music coming from the kitchen (unless there’s a soccer game on TV).  It always the same and it’s nice to be welcomed by the owner and staff.

Cass Street Bar and Grill in Pacific Beach — Oriental chicken salad washed down with a cold bottle of beer. The atmosphere is local and there’s lots of room to move around.

El Pescador on Pearl Street in La Jolla — When tourists come to San Diego this is the seafood restaurant that they are hoping to find. Johnny Cash or the Safaris playing in the background and guys who go surfing on their lunch break grilling your fish sandwich. Take a date, split a sandwich and have some chowder. The best fish in San Diego.

Nobu in Solana Beach — Sushi has to be perfect or not at all. Zenbu in La Jolla and Cardiff is as good as it gets, but I don’t fit in with the crowd. Nobu is well lighted and has great food. Last time I went there I had black cod that was unreal!

China Max on Convoy in Kearny Mesa — If you are going to eat Chinese food you might as well eat where the Chinese people eat.

Open your fridge and list the first 5 things that you see:

• Coors light beer
• A gallon of non-fat milk
• Teriyaki, soy sauce, sweet & sour sauce, etc.
• A big bag of Roma tomatoes
• Large bowl of steamed rice

Your favorite grocery store:

I shop at Food 4 Less and Henry’s.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

I had my girlfriend visiting me last week. I made a big Chinese dinner with Stir-fry chicken, veggies, and rice. I don’t know if it was my favorite but it’s the one that I remember.

What is one food item you could not bare to live without?

Anything that I can eat with chopsticks.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

I’m a lifetime San Diegan. Mom and dad moved me here in 1964. I started working on the ocean in 1975 and I’ve been stuck there ever since. I’m an independent commercial fisherman and I self-market my catch to local restaurants. I enjoy cooking and eating good low-fat food. I don’t eat out as often as I would like so I try to create restaurant style dinners at home. Like everyone I’m on a budget these days. I love to work in my garden and I’m enjoying a good crop of mild Jalapeno peppers this year.

Laura Tubelle de González is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at San Diego Miramar College with an interest in food anthropology. She is the advisor for the Food and Culture Club, a student club whose mission is to explore the world’s cultures through cuisine. Recently, she took on the Faculty Sustainability Coordinator position at Miramar College and brought local foods to campus with the Inland Empire CSA and a weekly local foods fest. She is the volunteer school garden coordinator at Arroyo Vista Charter School in Chula Vista and enjoys getting her hands dirty with her daughters and their classmates. As a ten-year-old, Laura appeared in a Frosted Flakes commercial with Tony the Tiger, beginning a life-long fascination with food. She lives in Eastlake with her husband, two daughters, and newly-adopted dog, Mochi.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Breakfast: Honey Nut O’s and 2 cups of coffee (I like the organic shade-grown Ethiopian from Trader Joe’s)

Snack with kids: Jicama strips with lime and salt

Lunch: Leftovers from last night’s dinner – Alaskan sockeye salmon filet with sesame apple and jicama slaw (I used apples from my Inland Empire CSA box)

Afternoon snack: Coffee and absurdly large chocolate chip cookie while reading book (Travels in Alaska by John Muir)

Dinner: Homemade calzones filled with chicken sausage, artichoke hearts, garlic, anchovies, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. (For my oldest daughter, who is a finicky eater, I made one with just cheese and sauce and told her it was a Pizza Pocket.) I made the sauce with Roma tomatoes from the CSA box and basil from my garden. Washed it down with half a glass of Stone Smoked Porter.

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

With kids: Souplantation, Panera

With husband, no kids: The Linkery and Sea Rocket Bistro (both in North Park) and India Palace (Hillcrest)

Your favorite grocery store:

Whole Foods

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

In San Juan, Puerto Rico at Wilo Benet’s “Pikayo,” I ate a piece of halibut marinated as if it were lechón (typical Puerto Rican roast pig) over a bed of gandules (pigeon peas) in escabeche (a vinegar marinade) and flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It was a spiritual experience.

One food item you could not bear to live without ever eating again:

Bread.

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

When Michelle Obama announced she was going to plant an organic garden for school kids on the South Lawn, I nearly fell off my chair with excitement. I’m a real supporter of growing one’s own food.

After running the school garden at my children’s elementary school for several years, I see what kind of difference it makes when kids (and adults) are connected to the food they eat. Moms thank me in the halls because their kids have finally started eating lettuce! Wouldn’t it be great if school cafeterias could always feed our kids with good tasting, fresh, locally-farmed produce?

I believe that growing and sharing food, eating organically, and supporting local small farms can change things for the better. One of my favorite quotes is from the poet/farmer Wendell Berry, who says “A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support. It is a way of rejoining the human race.”

Gustaf Rooth is an artisan. He’s a Swede and a San Diegan as well. He’s also an organizer, an entrepreneur, and a lover of life in general. He started “Ray at Night” eight years ago, when North Park was still rebuilding. Like many North Parkers, (see last week’s installment featuring Omar Passons) Gustaf loves his neighborhood, its restaurants and bars, and all that the surrounding San Diego neighborhoods have to offer. As a former chef, he values and savors everything he consumes – one of the simple joys in life.

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

Well, yesterday was Sunday, the only day I take off – if I can. I was free after our Ray at Night art event on Saturday, so a day off means BEER! Which is what I had for breakfast before heading to my favorite Bar (BlueFoot) to hang with my favorite locals (that’s you guys!) and to enjoy bartender Dana, whilst drinking even more beer. Then the hunger got satified with Bliss Cakes from Cardamom Cafe & Bakery on Upas, oh man!

After that, owner Adam Cook showed up with a very special Swedish treat, Turkish Pepper Shots! Absolut vodka that has dissolved strong licorice candies in it from Finland, love it or leave it. Ask for it!!

After a long afternoon there it was back home to get the studio a little picked up and then plan a meal for the evening with my friends, lover Anjela and step daughter River. For us I wanted some euro flavor, so I prepared some brautwurst. Lightly fry in a pan and sear, add beer, slow cook, remove from heat. Light the chimenea on the deck and put condiments out, strong mustard please! For River, I prepared pork chops filled with apple almond stuffing and served with cooked red potaotes. Put the braut on a stick, warm by the fire, add bread and goodies-eat. Open a bottle of White Lambrusco, plenty of Coronas, treat to some fine Belgian chocolate and watch the fire burn out! Of course, some Pellegrino in between and a V-8 for vitamins. Serve some teas or coffee but not for me, can you see me on caffeine?? Tasted some salt and vinegar chips which I found quite displeasing. I have yet to eat today, but had some bread (beer!). It is Monday you know??!!

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation:”

I am not a creature of habit…….but I do stay faithful to my favorites.

1. Luigi’s Pizza in Golden Hill – Luigi I love you brother. It’s my sanctuary, so if you are not finding me in the gallery, look there.
2. Hodad’s in OB! (DUH!)
3. Restaurang Sture Hof on The Big Square, Malmoe, Sweden. An experience fit for a King. That’s why our King Carl Gustaf eats there! I am homesick.
4. Wet Stone Wine Bar and Cafe on Bankers Hill … Go see my great friend Christian and my (single!) brother Jonas (DJ Vitamin J) for a great experience!
5. Karina’s Authentic Mexican restuarant in Chula Vista. The finest ceviche, salsa and most beautiful Latinas in all of San Diego.

• Gotta throw in the Glass Door in Little Italy. View, sunsets and my best friend Chef Rob Conaway is the master!

Tell me your favorite grocery store:

Sorry, haven’t found one yet that can compare to the many Main Square Markets in Sweden. There you mingle with so many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and barter barter barter!!! Way different than our farmers market here. There you can but produce from all over Europe without paying two bucks for an avocado. Come on! $2? We grow avocados everywhere in California, but I think most of those are exported.

Don’t get me wrong, I am though, a starving artist for the moment!

Tell me your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

My Mother is the main inspiration of all my cooking, and recently we had a great evening at my folks house with one of my favorite dishes, which I usually get for my birthday:

Curry chicken with rice in a creamy curry sauce. The best part of this dish is the pickings you choose to enhance your dish. You choose from ripe bananas and freshly grated coconut, yummy sweet currants or raisins, toasted slivered almonds.

It is a bit Pacific Rim but indeed very Swedish. The Vikings and early settlers in Sweden brought many delights from the North African Coast while traveling and conquering, some of our most traditional recipes actually stem from these exotic palces which involve rare spices and product. Mmmmmm! The chunk white chicken in sauce with white rice and all your favorite helpings is a real treat!

I still think my mom should write a book or have her own show. When she had Chrisitna’s Food Boutique in La Mesa during the 80s, she was quite the popular choice amongst many foodies. You rock Mama!!

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again?

You are asking a Swede about food you know!!?? So this is an easy one for me:

Danish Polse med svob/brod med ristad lok, stark senap och ketchup (Danish sausage wrapped in bacon/bread with deep fried onions and really strong mustard and ketchup). Available at street stands everywhere in Sweden and Denmark.

*did I mention the cold Carlsberg Hof that goes with it??? HEAVEN!

What do you want the readers to know about yourself?

I have been very engaged in my neighborhood of North Park now for almost ten years running. Ray At Night, which just celebrated its 94th straight monthly art event, has ballooned into the largest and longest monthly art event in the history of San Diego. Planet Rooth founded the event almost eight years ago and I am in awe of the inspiration I draw from each and every event!

On any given event you can enjoy the culinary delights of Chef Robert Conaway, Head Chef for the Glass Door in little Itlay or the fine tastings of the Wet Stone Wine Bar on Bankers Hill. Those are two of my favorite places in San Diego for fine dining and eats. Since I am now a working living artisan by trade, the restaurant experience is something I value a lot because it means I stop working for a moment and nourish myself … all the while getting a little rest; yes, I work over 75 hours a week!

I used to be a working chef (people have said I should have my own show), now I just cook for fun! One cannot help but draw the parallels of cooking with being an artisan. The difference (professionally) now versus before is that you don’t eat my creations any more! You sit on my chairs (see my new wine barrel chairs here) and eat from my tables. You use custom cutlery and oddly designed plates lit by custom candle holders while looking at my fine art paintings and listening to fine music coming from the custom entertainment center I built as the centerpiece of your castle. From the kitchen stove to the entire home … it’s been quite the transition.

It’s either that or just hire me to design and build your whole restaurant! Just check out Sushi on the Rock on Prospect in La Jolla and you’ll get the jist of what I am talking about. It’s all about the experience. It’s all about the process. ENJOY!

Omar Passons

Most recently, Omar was elected president of the North Park Community Association in April of 2009. He got involved because he believes in community- driven solutions to improving the neighborhood. North Park is one of the most up-and-still-coming neighborhoods with lots of improvement in the past few years, and lots of events every month. There’s Ray at Night, North Park Nights, the San Diego Indie Music Fest, the North Park Festival of the Arts, North Park Music Thing, North Park Toyland Parade, and of course, the North Park Farmers Market every Thursday!

List everything that you consumed in the past 24 hours:

(In reverse chronological order)

• One tortilla chip with salsa (I was dropping off some work and showed up at dinner)
• Fig Newton snack-size pack
• Buffalo Bleu chips (junk food is horrible, but alas, what can I say, it was a long day)
• Four bottles of water
• Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit (about the only thing I leave North Park to eat)
• Coffee
• Strawberry rhubarb crisp (courtesy of my wife)
• Vietnamese sandwich from Vo’s on University (nod to neighborhood friends/parents of friends who put me on to Francois — the charming Vietnamese man who runs the shop)
• Seafood risotto leftovers from Alexander’s (yes, it is true that my wife and I try to do all our dining in North Park)

List your top 5 restaurants, or favorite meals to cook, or your “rotation”:

Hmmm, I’m pretty cheap.

• Number 1 is my wife’s lemon chicken
• After that, right now I really like the asparagus, bacon, tomato, white sauce pizza at Mosaic
• There’s a roasted chicken at Urban Solace I really like (Ed. – see our Urban Solace review here)
• I like Sushi Deli 2 (though I am trying to trade it in for either Zen Sei or North Park Sushi Grill), and…there’s gotta be something I intentionally leave the neighborhood for, but I can’t think of it.
• I guess I’d say my wife’s brined chicken with tomato cucumber goat cheese mixed greens salad.

Your favorite grocery store:

This is a joke, right? Seriously, I don’t shop that much for groceries so I can’t really say.

Your favorite meal you’ve eaten in the past month:

This is a toss up between the soy-rizo omelette I had at Cardamom Bakery on Upas a few weeks ago and seared ahi we had at Hawthorn’s with a bottle of their Cigar Zin (I kind of think it’s worth going just for the Cigar Zin). Well, these are my favorite meals away from home anyway.

What is one food item you could not bare to live without ever eating again?

So, wait, what food group is red wine in? Maybe Panang Curry. Or a good hamburger (which reminds me that I forgot my favorite hamburger, the char-cheddar burger with grilled onions, comes from a pizza joint—nice work by David and his crew at Lefty’s on 30th.

What do you want the readers to know about you?

Well my job certainly isn’t interesting to anyone who doesn’t do it … Hmmm, something interesting … I am a San Diego native and I married my best friend, who is a woman I’ve known off and on since the 3rd grade. That might be interesting. I broke my iPhone two days before the 3Gs came out and was so impatient I couldn’t wait two days to get the newer, infinitely more gadget-heavy new one.