That's because of a refugee who built up an empire, and became known as the Donut King, only to lose it all. He had lost the respect of his family and community. The couple had flash cars, bought a million-dollar mansion with a pool and an elevator, and went on holidays abroad. He co-signed loans for supplies and equipment. youths avoid juvenile hall comes to an end, As it approaches its first decade, the Frida Cinema abides, Shake Shack gets ready to shake things up in Orange County, Santa Anas Electric City Butcher moves online, Brews&Bites beachside beer festival comes to the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 13 couples say I do on Valentines Day weekend at the Anaheim Marketplace, Broadway Divas serve off-Broadway realness at Segerstrom, Dine your heart out this Valentines Day with special menus throughout Orange County, 43rd annual Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Fair a source of pride in Anaheim. He also sponsored more than 100 Cambodian refugee families and established a path of financial opportunity for them in America. He formed the Free Development Republican Party (ahead of the countrys UN-backed elections), believing that he could show others the path to wealth and hoping that being a politician might stymy his gambling addiction. "When Alice called me, she described something that I have always wanted to tell but never thought that it would get picked up anywhere," Tao says. Once again Suganthini was the friendly face welcoming customers, and when she became a US citizen she took the name Christy as her own. Buddha cannot help me.. Ted now had a new passion - politics. "She was powerful, like your royal princess," says Ted. A child of immigrants herself, she had become curious why Californian doughnut shops were so often run by Cambodians, and why there were so many of them. So he named his own political party the Free Development Republican Party. Ted was the consummate schmoozer and salesman. He subsequently received training through an affirmative action program to increase minority hiring within the Winchell's chain of doughnut shops, and managed a store in Newport Beach where he employed his wife and nephew. No political life, no religious life, just work, work, he said. TED NGOY HAD an unrelenting obsession during his 1975 plane ride from Southeast Asia to Southern California. By 1987, Ngoy owned 32 Christy's Donuts locations, largely accomplished by living out of a motorhome allowing him and his family to travel up and down the state of California establishing new locations. "The note said, 'I appreciate you blowing the flute. Just knowing that my great uncle Ted and the story of my parents and hearing Alice say, 'I want to really dig deep on a Cambodian donut shop,' I was like, 'Wow, this is real. The premise of family in the film is how hard your parents work and the sacrifices they make so that you can have a life better than they did. Ted Ngoy By 1985, 10 years after arriving in the US as refugees, Ted and Christy were millionaires, owning around 60 doughnut shops. California Sunday The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. in Santa Monica. I'm no good. Christy has remarried and lives in the US, Listen to Ted Ngoy on Outlook on the BBC World Service, Download the podcast for more extraordinary stories, The Donut King, is available in the US now in theatres and online and will be coming to the UK in 2021, Listen to Ted Ngoy on Outlook: How the Donut King lost his crown. They did business on a handshake, he said, and his tenants always paid. But one night, he had an idea. When you first reached out to Ted, it was a cold call. Distraught, she took an overdose of sleeping pills and fell into a coma. 2023 BBC. A new documentary chronicles the fascinating saga of Ted Ngoy, "The Donut King," who made a fortune and then lost it all to a gambling addiction. Filmmaker Alice Gu (left) poses with Mayly Tao outside DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Ted, Christy and their two kids fled to Thailand. In 1990, after disappearing for another disastrous trip to Las Vegas, he flew to Washington, D.C., and joined a Buddhist monastery. They took American names. She thought it might have been a tall tale, "But when I was in Cambodia, [Ted] lifted his shirt and I saw the puncture wounds," Gu adds. If you can dream it, they're probably mixing it somewhere on property. He sat on the roof of his apartment and played his flute, the music sweeping over the neighborhood. One night, during his shift at a gas station, the scent of freshly baked goods wafted toward him. By the mid-1980s, he was a millionaire. and California landscape with a familiar coat yellow strip mall signs with red lettering reading Christys Donuts. Where are they now?. "You can't find any prettier woman besides her.". I say, Ted, who are you? I really dont know.. Phnom Penh Post "I cry. This is my own speculation, but it seemed like he had come to some peace with his dad and childhood. Ted Ngoy is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of donut shops in California, earning him the nickname the "Donut King." While working a second job at a gas station, Ngoy took notice of a busy local donut shop and inquired of its operators about learning the business. He remarried and had four more children - the youngest two are still at school. . After cry, go back gambling." At loose ends, she returned to Los Angeles and, once again, started helping with the family business. I shared love, my heart. Here's Why It's Especially Dangerous To Hike SoCal Mountains Right Now, How 4 Words Upended A University's Journalism Program, And Stirred A Reckoning Over Race, What A Popular Yoga Teacher's Descent Into Conspiracy Theories Says About The 'Wellness To QAnon Pipeline', Ancient Lung Disease Strikes Countertop Cutters In LA. Ted Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. [1], In 2013, he was living in Phnom Penh working in real estate. She would drive there with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him. Besides, he reasoned, as a politician he would not be able to gamble. until 2014 The doughnut king landed at LAX with $50 in his pocket. Never give up. Gambling is a devil. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. The past I cannot change, but I learned the heavy way. "It's a crazy story, but it's true," says Ted, now 78. "Using money to provide for others is a feeling as powerful as any drug," he later wrote. Why are we still having these debates? In 1985, Ngoy and his wife became American citizens assuming the American names of Ted and Christy, respectively, and were enjoying a lavish lifestyle including a million dollar home at Lake Mission Viejo, a vacation home in Big Bear, expensive cars, and vacations to Europe. He built a donut empire and $20 million in wealth, but his fortune built on donuts would crumble and he would lose it all. Money, doughnuts, sleep.. COVID origins? One night in a pouring rain, Ngoy scaled a coconut tree beside the wall surrounding her home. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. I'm not famous. [5] By 1977 he was able to purchase his first doughnut shop, Christy's Donuts, in La Habra. As many as I could.". [citation needed] Ngoy's political career ended in 2002 after breaking with two powerful allies, the commerce minister and the head of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, Teng Bunma. When the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975, they knew they couldn't go home. His mother raised him in a rural village near Cambodias border with Thailand. One by one, Ted lost all of his donut shops. On Sundays, he attends Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach. Ted and Suganthini sold everything they had and arrived in California on one of the first refugee flights, with their three children, an adopted nephew and two nieces. Hes friends with Dana Rohrabacher. They made a blood pact, promising to be forever faithful. At 16, she had no friends, could not talk to boys and was forbidden to leave home alone. And I feel so much hurt. I think thats the American way the power of connections and people. He says he hid in her room for 45 days until he was discovered. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchell's in Newport Beach. Late at night, Ngoy would put Suganthini on his back and climb down the roof, then down the coconut tree. In 1975, Ted Ngoy fled the war in Cambodia with his wife and three kids and arrived in America as a penniless refugee. Ted Ngoy was reaping rewards of that success. In a year Ted had saved enough to put down a deposit on a second doughnut shop, a "mom-and-pop" shop called Christy's. Through the maneuvering of his brother-in-law, chief of police and briefly future president of Cambodia, Sak Sutsakhan, Ngoy was promoted to the rank of major and appointed military attache at Cambodia's embassy in Thailand. Ngoy and his family enjoyed the fruits of their labor and at one point moved into a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Mission Viejo. She was lucky that Mayly Tao, whose mom, Chuong Lee, owns the shop, answered the phone. She thought Ted was joking, but he was serious. In Cambodia, Ngoy formed the Free Development Republican Party. Then he would return to Vegas in an attempt to win back what he had lost. All three were taken to the police station but they were too scared to mention the cash in the boot. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. The Ngoys helped hundreds of refugees find housing and apply for Social Security cards. Christys Doughnuts in La Habra never did great business. Eventually, her parents discovered Ngoy and threw him out. Peace Lutheran Church The two had met as teenage classmates in Phnom Penh. Gu says Christy's family then threatened to kill Ted but his mother made a deal with them. One night, he. But it was really the immigrant story. While working a second job at a gas station, Ngoy took notice of a busy local doughnut shop and inquired of its operators about learning the business. He returned to a refugee community in transition. (Elina Shatkin/LAist). Not many professional gamblers are bipolar women, but Cat Hulbert was one of the best - and she delighted in winning money from men. Her brother-in-law, Sutsakhan Sak, was chief of police and would become, briefly, the countrys president. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment) When you first reached out to Ted, it. "We were happy - until the gambling came to wreck my life. 60? They both drank and vowed to be faithful. BC Donuts Ted Ngoy was born in Sisophon, Cambodia. It was on the market. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. By 2005, after a failed political career in Cambodia, Ngoy was penniless and living on the porch of a fellow Parkcrest Christian Church parishioner's mobile home. "[10], Whittaker said that "as Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communitiesdefine America has only become more timely."[8]. But from then on, every store Ngoy and his wife bought or opened they named Christys Doughnuts. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. "They're a good company and I owe them gratitude," Ted says. They wont trust you, he said. [10] Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. Nearly every independent donut shop in every Southern California mini-mall hides a story and many of them start with an unlikely impresario, a Cambodian refugee named Ted Ngoy. Chuong Lee Tao passed down DKs Donuts in Santa Monica to her daughter Mayly Tao, who updated the shop with a vast menu and a worldwide social media following. He was born Bun Tek Ngoy. Suganthinis parents hoped she would marry well. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. Instantly acquiring the rank of Major, Ted and his young family moved to Bangkok, and every month he travelled back to Cambodia to collect the wages for his soldiers. Ted began to look for more doughnut shops to buy and lease to fellow refugees. I instantly found the Realtor, the listing agent and arranged to go and have Ted walk through his old house. He and his family barely escaped and were among. A 2005 profile in the Los Angeles Times described him as "broke, homeless, and dependent on the goodwill of his few remaining friends." Today, he makes a living selling real estate in Cambodia. Few foods are as universally adored as fried dough. This is going to happen.'". Every evening, he sat by his open window and played the flute. He wanted to be with her, but he had no one else to manage the shop. Ngoy showed them baking and bookkeeping. NICK STREET Channy is a stocky man in his mid-forties, and he runs USA Donut in Boeung Keng Kang with his wife. After completing the company's training program, they gave him the keys to a store in Newport Beach. [2], In 1967, Ngoy was sent by his mother to study in the capital, Phnom Penh, where he met and married Suganthini Khoeun, the daughter of a high-ranking government official. To make sure he went through with it, they insisted on hiding behind a curtain while he said his spiel. When he lost their money he would just sign over the shop to them - without telling Christy, whose signature he forged. If there's anything she wants people who watch The Donut King to know, it's that this seemingly simple treat has a deeper cultural resonance. That's a disaster," he says. "Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives. He lobbied his contacts in the Republican inner circle, including Senator John McCain, and MFN status was granted permanently in 1996. The details that aren't in the movie are even crazier. Casino operators gave Ngoy free rooms, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights. It really helped put some perspective on the journey to get here from somewhere else and the struggles that people go through when they arrive in a new, strange and foreign land. Las Vegas was the new thing, he said, besides making money and making doughnuts,. [6][3], Ngoy bought additional doughnut shops in Orange County. I cry. In most of America there's an average of about one doughnut shop for every 30,000 people - in LA, there's one for every 7,000 people. Ngoy told Suganthini that he didnt love her. Huge numbers of Cambodian refugees were arriving in California. Ted became deeply religious. Interviews can sometimes feel like a therapy session. [5], Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. He hired his wife and nephew. That phrase Donut King is already so eye-catching right off the bat. Drenched and bleeding, he tiptoed into a hallway. Upon his return to Orange County, Ngoy began gambling harder than ever stating "Monks cannot help me, Buddha cannot help me. He is nicknamed the "Donut King. I called her when I found out and asked if she knew about Ford and Brown. in Pasadena, Ngoy asked to visit. These are kids who are American educated. Ted Ngoy in The Donut King documentary. He took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day. He paid for their airfare and, when they arrived, "Uncle Ted" let them stay at his house while he taught them the ropes of the donut business. One of them being my interview with Michael Krondl, the food historian. Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? "It's a devil, it's a monster. It took longer than 40 years. The Donut King is a documentary directed by Alice Gu that covers the life of Ted Ngoy, one of the primary reasons behind the Cambodian American donut shop boom. "Everybody's happy to see me now, because I changed from the bad guy to the good guy.". Everybody cry, he said. In The Donut King, we learn that a teenage Ted won over his wife, Christy (ne Suganthini), by spending 45 straight days laying under her bed. He was ready to be taken by a new passion. The film flashes back to the horror of life in 1970s Cambodia, a tragic offshoot of the Vietnam war that eliminated thousands of lives. Over four years nearly two million Cambodians were either executed, or died of starvation, disease and overwork. Some of the interviews in the film seemed that way.It was actually really wonderful to speak with particularly his older kids Chet and Savy, who until that interview, they didnt have much to do with him. Did working on this film change or contribute to your perspective of the American dream or immigrant stories?It seems like these days the American dream is harder and harder to attain. So I decided to change.". On hearing the music float across the quiet city, Suganthini's mother remarked that whoever was playing must be in love. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three children to Camp Pendleton. One of Ngoy's first jobs in the US was as a service station attendant. A woman from his church lets him sleep in the screened porch outside her mobile home, which he has fashioned into a makeshift bedroom. In 1993 Ted and Christy moved back to Cambodia. The second time Ted came back to California, Chet took all this time off of work, took him to his timeshare in Oceanside and drove his dad around all over Southern California. Hes really funny. In the end, filming the documentary was a healing experience for Ted. [6], The Donut King had its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition the South by Southwest film festival. She later discovered that they were among the first to be executed by the Khmer Rouge. His tenants opened their own stores and leased them out. She ended up threatening to starve herself, saying, "If you won't let me be with him, I'm not going to eat.". Seasonal Halloween donuts at DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. The family were among the many tens of thousands of . None of the people Ngoy helped get started lent him a hand, he said: I trained them. People love her and shes beautiful. "I never back down. Ted was dismayed. This tastes like any other glazed donut,'" Gu says. They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. You will end up destroying the whole family and no more relationship with the world, just finished. Because he was a high roller the casinos put him up in $2,000-a-night suites and offered him VIP tickets to the best shows. It's so amazing, so touching.' A week later, Suganthini wrote back, and the two began a secret correspondence. "It's impossible to explain that money had nothing to do with it. Monks cannot help me, he said. Ted is my great uncle,'" Gu says. Ngoy lived in an attic apartment a few blocks from the Khoeun familys mansion. It actually made national, if not international, news about the kindness of these people in Orange County. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. Ted Ngoy made a fortune in doughnuts. Cambodia was poor and under-developed after years of war. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. [5], The film received 69/100 on Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews. She said he would be throwing his money away. Don't die. And he saw an opportunity. 50? And he said he saw her heart break before his very eyes. You will end up destroying the whole family and no more relationship with the world, just finished. I just do it.. [8], After a particularly devastating gambling loss in 1990, Ngoy flew to Washington, D.C. and joined a Buddhist monastery where he spent a month meditating. War erupted in 1970. From the wall, he leaped onto the roof and crawled through an open window. Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. 'How I got rich beating men at their own game'. One of the tricks he learned was to bake doughnuts in small batches throughout the day to keep them fresh - and because the smell of baking was the best form of advertising. This is an incredible story of how he helped people. "What happens if I decide to jump into your room?" At 35, Ngoy had already climbed out of poverty and into privilege once. [4], Ngoy secured work as a janitor with Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin, California.
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