Food Network star Tobias Dorzon reflects one year after being shot 11 times: ‘God’s got a bigger purpose for me’

The former NFL Player and celebrity chef opens up about his recovery, faith and how surviving a near-fatal shooting reshaped his outlook on life and success.

Food Network star Tobias Dorzon is “super grateful to be here” one year after he was shot 11 times.

The 40-year-old former NFL player turned chef is reflecting on his long road to recovery exactly one year after the fateful November evening when he and his girlfriend, Crystal Swan, were shot and robbed in Hyattsville, Maryland in a new interview with People magazine. 

“I’m just super grateful to be here, to be in the moment, and to still be able to cook and give people an experience,” he told the outlet. “That has always been my biggest focus and my dream — to create a memorable food experience for others.”

The Maryland native first made a name for himself on the football field, playing for multiple teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans, before returning home to pursue his passion for food. In recent years, he has become one of the area’s most celebrated chefs and a rising star on the Food Network, appearing on hit shows such as “Chopped,” “Guy’s Grocery Games,” and “Tournament of Champions.” He’s also the owner of two Prince George’s County restaurants — Huncho House and 1123 by Tobias Dorzon — both known for their elevated twists on classic comfort food.

On Nov. 5, 2024, as theGrio previously reported, Dorzon and Swan were returning home after a date night in D.C. when five armed men ambushed them. The couple was shot multiple times before the assailants fled the scene. Dorzon was struck 11 times, losing all feeling below his knees, and doctors initially feared he would never walk again. 

In June, police made one arrest in connection with the crime 21-year-old Devin Demetrius Spivey, who faces 18 charges, including attempted murder, assault, theft, and armed robbery, WUSA9 reported. A trial in the case is set to begin in December. 

A year later, Dorzon has not only regained his ability to walk but has also returned to the kitchen — albeit moving a little slower and with limited feeling in one finger. This winter, he’s set to appear in “Tournament of Champions: All-Star Christmas,” a new Food Network special celebrating some of the network’s top chefs.

Looking back, Dorzon admits the ordeal still feels surreal.

“I really didn’t know what to take from everything,” he says. “For somebody that’s never really been in trouble, I thought coming back home to build something in my hometown, being a hometown hero — something like that could never happen to me.”

He continues, “I ask myself every day, ‘Was I wrong for going out that night? Should I have not gone out that night?’ It’s just so many different things that I ask myself, but I’m here. I tell myself every day God’s got a bigger purpose for me.”