Marky Ramone Brings His Pasta "Sawce" to Whole Foods

Photo Courtesy Whole Foods

If you told us that one of the last remaining Ramones would one day shill his own jarred pasta sauce at an upscale, gourmet, health-leaning grocery store, we would probably spit our cheap beer in your face with laughter. But why waste good cheap beer? It's all true.

Marky Ramone (nee Marc Steven Bell) is coming back through L.A. to sign jars of Marky Ramone's Brooklyn's Own Pasta Sauce at two Whole Foods locations, where it is now available, this weekend. The drummer's also signing drumsticks because he knows where his punk fans' allegiance probably lies. At least until they try the spaghetti.

In May, Norbert Wabnig from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills sanctioned the tomato sauce, and it's been praised by the Wall Street Journal and even Daniel Boulud. Ramone himself says it's pretty simple making a great sauce, which he learned from his grandfather, a former chef for New York's famed Copa Cabana and 21 Club.

"Good olive oil, canned tomatoes, a little bit of garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and some sugar, and whatever else I could throw into it," he told us in May. "And use real Italian plum tomatoes. It sweetens the sauce naturally and gives a little crunch from the seeds."

The sauce is vegetarian and gluten-free, and 10 percent of all sales goes to Autism Speaks, a charity the rocker personally supports. Even pinheads can get behind that.

Catch Marky Ramone signing jars and drumsticks on Saturday (July 9) at the West Hollywood store (7871 Santa Monica Blvd.) from 1 to 5 p.m., and on Sunday (July 10) at the Third and Fairfax location from 3 to 5 p.m.