Rams nutritionist has a whole flock to feed

Each week The Times will examine some of the behind-the-scene jobs associated with the Rams:

Brent Williams’ face lit up as he lifted the hood of a new shiny silver barbecue that was delivered to the Rams’ practice facility in Thousand Oaks Thursday.

“I’m going to have a lot of fun now,” Williams said.

Williams, from Mobile, Ala., has always had a passion for food and sports. When he joined the Rams as a team chef and nutrition assistant last season, it was the perfect way to marry the two.

“I love it. This is always paradise,” Williams said.

Williams feeds up to 120 people a day — including players, coaches and staff members — at the Rams’ modular practice facility on Cal Lutheran’s campus, which has provided a particular challenge without an on-site kitchen.

Williams arrives to work at about 5:30 every morning to make sure breakfast is prepared, and he doesn’t leave at night until after 9, when the last of dinner has been served.

Throughout the day he is drawing up meal plans, coordinating with caterers, meeting with the athletic trainer and attending practices with a bag full of snacks, just in case anyone needs a bite.

“My job here is to properly fuel our athletes to keep them on the field, keep them filled up for games, practice, make sure that the guys eat and keep their weights up or down if they need to,” Williams said.

For Williams, it’s a science and an art to make sure players receive their proper nutrition.

“If we have questions on what to eat he’ll just pick us up and give us tips,” offensive lineman Greg Robinson said. “For instance I asked him about strawberries versus pineapple. Pineapple has more sugar. Just some little things I picked up off him…. A lot of things you think are good for you actually are not.”

Williams marveled at the beauty of sliced mango as he pointed to a three-step guideline outlined on the cafeteria wall that helps players understand what to put on their plate.

But even Williams, who takes extreme pride in helping to build an athlete’s body, couldn’t hide his enthusiasm for the following day’s menu: Fat Friday.

It’s the day players get to load up on calories and carbohydrates — doughnuts, nachos and hot dogs — in preparation for Sunday’s game.

And it’s the day that Williams might get to fire up the new grill.

Times staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this report.