Joseph Carcione ( ; October 31, 1914 – August 2, 1988) was a

consumer advocate Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent businesse ...

known as "The Green Grocer."

Golden Gate Produce Terminal

Carcione owned and operated a produce import/export business at the Golden Gate Produce Terminal II in

South San Francisco South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially termed "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. History P ...

, one of the three Bay Area Wholesale Produce Markets, the others being, Oakland Wholesale Produce Market, and San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market.

Television and Radio

Carcione got his start doing radio commercials for his produce business in 1967, when he was discovered by KCBS radio announcer Dave McElhatton. He went on to host short

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and radio bits offering advice in the world of

produce In American English, produce generally refers to wikt:fresh, fresh List of culinary fruits, fruits and Vegetable, vegetables intended to be Eating, eaten by humans, although other food products such as Dairy product, dairy products or Nut (foo ...

, and wrote a newspaper column and two books on the same subject. The Greengrocer television news feature was produced on location at the Golden Gate Produce Terminal and syndicated throughout the United States and Canada. Commercial television stations contracted with Mighty Minute Programs of San Francisco to obtain the exclusive rights to broadcast Joe Carcione's Greengrocer report on a market-by-market basis. In some television markets, the feature was sponsored by grocery stores interested in associating with The Greengrocer.

Personal life

Carcione married Madeline Ahern in 1937. They had three children. He died of intestinal cancer at Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame, California on August 2, 1988 and was entombed at Holy Cross Cemetery in

Colma, California Colma (Ohlone for "Springs") is a small incorporated List of municipalities in California, town in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,507 at the 2020 U ...

. He was well known for, among other things, a dish called the "Joe Carcione Special", which consisted of shredded cabbage in place of pasta, sauteed with onion and garlic, and topped with marinara sauce and grated cheese.

In Popular Culture

Darryl Henriques parodied him as ''Joe Carcinogenni'' on KSAN (1968 to 1980).

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

S10E17 makes reference to "The Red Grocer", a meat-focused play on Carcione's show.

References

External links

*
Joe Carcione Biography at Bay Area Radio Museum

"The Greengrocer cookbook" entry at Library of Congress

"The greengrocer; the consumer's guide to fruits and vegetables" entry at Library of Congress
1914 births 1988 deaths Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California) Consumer rights activists Deaths from colorectal cancer in California People from South San Francisco, California {{US-activist-stub