INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kobie Turner can't play right now, but the Rams defensive tackle still found a way to show up.
Turner, who is recovering from a groin injury, was a co-chair of Taste of the Rams, the team's annual culinary fundraiser for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, held Monday night at SoFi Stadium. The event brought together Rams players, local chefs and community supporters for an evening dedicated to fighting hunger in Los Angeles County.
"I think it's an awesome event to put on," Turner said. "I remember coming here my rookie year. Me and Steve [Avila] were just looking up photos of the outfits that we were wearing here and just thinking how far we've come. But I think it's such an important cause to combat food insecurity. And really just any way to be able to come out and show up for our community is huge."
More than a dozen local chefs served dishes from across Southern California's food scene, with all proceeds going to the food bank.
Turner said he committed to co-chairing the event months before he was hurt, and he never considered letting his recovery keep him away.
"We planned this out and planned me being co-chair of this … a long time ago," Turner said. "And so I thought it was super important to show up. It doesn't hurt that the food is going to be really great as well, but it's just so important to get back into the community."
Turner, a key part of the Rams' defensive front, did not give a timetable for his return.
"It's just continuing to progress each and every day," he said. "Trusting in our training staff. I think that they're the best in the world, and so really leaning in. And Sean [McVay] talks about being present all the time, and this is my present circumstance."
Turner said he has approached his rehab the way he approaches game preparation, focusing on the small details that will help him trust his body again.
"It's been cool to really dive in deep into, all right, how can I get back to trusting my body at its fullest level?" Turner said. "How can I attack each and everything that I have?
"I've taken it as a good time to just lock in on the small details, to fully trust in the process that the training staff has for me and to really attack it with that same mindset that I'd attack any game."
One highlight of the night for Turner was a reminder of a discovery from his rookie year. He first found Jame Enoteca, an Italian restaurant in El Segundo, through Taste of the Rams, and its spicy vodka pasta has since become his pregame meal.
"The spicy vodka pasta hits every time. I order that every time," Turner said. "That's my pregame meal. The night before, that's my meal."
He said he makes a point of going there when the Rams hold training camp at Loyola Marymount.
Turner, who grew up in Northern Virginia, said Southern California's food changes from one neighborhood to the next.
"There's a lot of different food and a lot of different cultures up there as well," he said. "But different regions have different things. Whether you're up in the Valley, you go down into Hollywood, in that area you have different things. You come down here to Inglewood, you have different things."
The evening also let Turner see SoFi Stadium in a different way. Instead of the noise of a sold-out game, he noticed how quiet it was.
"It's peaceful and it's kind of serene," Turner said. "Back in high school or back in college, I would go and sit up at the top of our stadium. I had a little secret entryway to get up there and just look out."
Watching games from the sideline has already given him a new perspective, he said, and seeing the stadium empty gave him another.
"This is a field where so many things happen. It's a full show on game day," Turner said. "And even being sidelined right now, I get to see it from a different perspective. But to be able to be here and see it be so calm and serene, it's a special thing."
Still, Turner said the players weren't the stars of the night. The people who fight food insecurity in Los Angeles County year-round were.
"We're just showing up here and lending our voice and lending our presence to this cause," he said. "But the work that the food bank does, the work that the rest of Rams staff and different people that have worked together to bring this event to life, and the work that they do all throughout the year is really the highlight of it.
"You realize this is because of so many great hands that work behind the scenes to make this type of stuff happen. I get to show up and help out. But it's such a great cause to be a part of."