Campus Dining held its annual Food Show Tuesday afternoon and it proved to be a huge success among students.

“As long as I get free food, it’s awesome,” Daud Khan, a sophomore astronomy major, said. He and many other students were amazed at what the 25 vendors located in the Student Activities Center Ballroom had to offer.

Companies either chose to showcase foods they already sell on campus or used the Food Show as an opportunity to try new ideas. All of the vendors displayed during the Food Show “are in some variety, sold on campus,” Marketing Manager of Campus Dining Services Carly Shephard said.

Shephard also said the event was a great way to “bring more awareness to the fact that we do have healthy items on campus.” Green Street, which is sold at the Student Union Commons on Mondays, chose to showcase quinoa bowls with a variety of vegetables.

Healthy beverages were also a trend at the show. Companies like Naked Juice, Tropicana, Honest Tea and Ito En were a big hit with the people who attended the event. Fresh apples, oranges and bananas were also available from J. Kings for students to try.

Students were offered Bibimbap, a traditional Korean rice based food with vegetables and meat; Kimbab, sushi filled with either spicy squid, ham or beef, scallops with lima beans, corn and cilantro; and health-conscious cookies from Hampton Creek.

“I think that this event is helpful to see what food is offered on campus, especially because I commute,” Erika Zevallos, a senior psychology major said.

Other students said the event introduced them to foods they did not know Stony Brook offered. The locations of where certain foods sold on campus were posted alongside the respective samples at the event.

The show was also extremely beneficial from the vendor’s point of view.

“You get to see what students like,” a representative from Lays said.

It was a great way for vendors to try out new ideas and see how they would be perceived by the student body. For West Side Dining, the event proved to be very successful. They gave away approximately 4500 sliders, a food they want to bring to campus for March Madness.

“I work for you, I’m your chef, so if you want sliders for March Madness, it’s up to you. The only way it happens is if there’s a lot of voices asking for it,” Andrew Greene, production chef at Campus Dining Services, said.

Many of the vendors became so popular, they were running out of supplies. Hershey’s Ice Cream ran out of its own cups and had extra employee’s scooping ice cream and frozen yogurt. Boar’s Head had the longest line at the show from start to finish and Hampton Coffee gave away hundreds of cups of coffee.

The Food Show took off this year, mostly because of the social media build up. “The notoriety is growing,” Shephard said before the show even started “there was a line out the door.”

The Show was publicized earlier in the week on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Students also received hints on social media about what they could win at the event.

Seawolves were encouraged to enter a raffle by posting a picture on social media using the hashtag #sbueatsfoodshow. The winners of the prizes, which included a book bag, a flat-screen TV and a bike, were announced Tuesday night via social media.

Overall, students seemed to enjoy Tuesday’s event.

“I think it’s one of the best events Stony Brook has done,” Erica Ferer, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, said. “Free food is good, especially when it’s good free food.”

Students left the event smiling with food samples in hand. One student, as he walked out with his food, said “this is the greatest thing ever.”