NBC New York is mourning the loss of a member of our News 4 family. “Produce Pete,” a longtime fixture of our weekend morning news, has died at the age of 80.
He was born Peter Napolitano in Bergenfield, New Jersey, in February 1945. But in the decades to come, everyone — including members of his own family — would end up calling him “Produce Pete.”
For more than 30 years, he appeared on Saturday editions of Weekend Today in New York. In a business that often puts a priority on glitz and glamour, Pete made it a point to keep it simple.
Fruits and vegetables were his topics, but the soul of his work was based on his life. It was a rare week when he did not talk about his early days growing up in Englewood, working as a peddler for his dad or selling produce at his family’s store.
Pete helped grow Napolitano’s Produce from a small family store into a New Jersey destination that served customers for more than a half century. It’s where he learned the lessons that stayed with him and shaped the voice viewers came to trust and love.
But nothing was bigger than the love he had for his wife, Bette. They met as teenagers and would go on to have two kids and seven grandchildren, all of whom would make appearances with “Produce Pete” over the years.
Pete’s family shared him with generations of tri-state viewers — many of whom would say that Pete was a good reason to get up early, even on a Saturday.
“For more than 30 years, WNBC viewers tuned in on Saturday mornings to watch ‘Produce Pete’ offer his fruit and vegetables recommendations as well as cooking tips on ‘Weekend Today in New York’. He was a beloved member of our station family and our viewers felt the same way — visiting him at our Health Expo, our Feeding our Families Food Drives or the many farmers markets across New Jersey where he always felt right at home,” said Amy Morris, the Senior Vice President of News for NBC 4 New York and Telemundo 47.
In 2025, during an appearance on the TODAY Show, Pete talked proudly of his path to NBC New York.
“I come from immigrant people. My father came here from Italy. No education, no nothing. And then, you know, I got lucky 35 years ago when someone was in my store and put me on a local show,” he said.
He had been part of our family ever since, signing off each segment with his trademark line: “If you eat right, you’re going to live right!”
Pete would become part of pop culture, and from the spoken word to the written word, his advice lives on in his books. He saw the tri-state grow and change, with a unique view from the airwaves, but fame and recognition never changed him.
He was the first to tell anyone: just call me “Produce Pete.”
“On behalf of all of us at WNBC, we extend our deepest condolences to Produce Pete’s family – his beloved wife Bette, his children and his grandchildren,” said Eric Lerner, the President and General Manager of NBC New York and Telemundo 47.
