Faces Stuffed at Food Show

By Matthew Weinberger

The crowds were bustling and the napkins were rustling as the Student Activities Center played host to the annual “Taste of Stony Brook” food show last Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The food show serves to show the variety and quality of the food on campus, as well as to provide a testing ground to possible introduce new products, according to Lisa Ospitale, director of marketing for Campus Dining Services.
These shows are so big, the school can only afford to put on one a year.

“It’s very expensive to put one of these together,” Ospitale said.

The ballroom was lined with rows of tables for the event, each one loaded to bear with free samples handed out by workers sporting the logo of the company they were there to promote.

For example, Dunkin’ Donuts gave out donut holes in paper cups, Boar’s Head handed out hot dogs from a cart they wheeled in, and Entenmanns’s offered cookies and yet more donuts.

Obviously, all these free giveaways generated a lot of garbage, but not to worry, as almost everything gets recycled, Ospitale said. As for the half eaten food:
“That does kind of accumulate,” Len Ober, executive chef at Campus Dining Services, said.

According to a survey filled out by the show’s estimated 1500 to 2000 attendees, one of the best-received booths belonged to Golden Krust, a Jamaican bakery.

Golden Krust gave out samples of its Jamaican beef patties, which are going to be featured in with the Carribean-themed lunch specials at the Bleacher Club on March 14.

Golden Krust plans to expand its line of products available at Stony Brook University for next semester, including their jerk chicken and various other specialties.

“We’ve gotten a super response,” said Steve Ament, the Vice President of Operations and Non-Traditional Franchises at Golden Krust. “We think we’ll be back here next semester.”
Ament’s sentiments were reflected among the general population of exhibitors.

“The response has been pretty good,” Sandy Chapman, an outside sales agent for Envision Food Marketing, said. Her booth was selling organic breakfast cereals of a brand that’s begun to go on sale at Kelly Dining Center.

Entertainment was provided during the show by the vocal-and-guitar musical duo of Stony Brook alum Jennifer Logan and her boyfriend Brian Verderson. They performed a wide range of covers of rock and pop hits, including “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” originally by band Nine Days, among many others.

All of this contributed to a fun, light atmosphere, a stark contrast to the sheer amount of food being consumed by the students.

Barry Levin, a first year biomechanical engineering student, took a moment out from sampling the wares to express his approval of the event.

“This is excellent,” he said