Over the next few years, he went back every month or so, seeing Tom Jones, Diana Ross and Wayne Newton -- and betting ever-larger sums. I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. Ngoy is Cambodian and he was in Phnom Penh when it fell. His mother raised him in a rural village near Cambodias border with Thailand. Christy always forgave him, but word got around that Ted could no longer be trusted. He built a donut empire and $20 million in wealth, but his fortune built on donuts would crumble and he would lose it all. All the boys at his school were in love with her, and as a poor half-Chinese boy from a village near the Thai border he had no chance. "We were happy - until the gambling came to wreck my life. They cried and prayed for the family they had left behind. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. [11], Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 19:19, "Rise and fall of Cambodian refugee 'Donut King' charted in award-winning film", "A TASTE OF CAMBODIA: A Real Horatio Alger Story: Refugee Built Empire on Doughnuts", "VOICES FROM THE FIRST GENERATION: The Ngoy Family", "Asians Looking to Broaden Horizons: Immigrants Prosper but Hope to Venture Outside the 'Business Ghetto', "The Donut King who went full circle - from rags to riches, twice", "The story of the man they called the doughnut king", "Review: A Shakespearean SoCal tragedy, 'The Donut King' charts the rise and fall of Ted Ngoy", "Lessons from the Donut King & Science Fiction's Golden Age", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ted_Ngoy&oldid=1140980965, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 19:19. The Donut King is a 2020 American documentary film which tells the life story of California donut shop owner Ted Ngoy. What was surprising for me was watching Ted, a Republican, pictured with Pete Wilson at one point in the film since Wilson supported laws that hurt immigrants.Its wild. During the week they went to school, where sometimes they were so hungry they stole snacks from other kids' lunchboxes. Eventually Cambodians owned so many doughnut shops in California that they dominated the market, pushing Winchell's into second place. He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. He shaved his head and spent three months barefoot in Thailand, coming back emaciated and a changed man - or so he thought. The rise & fall of The Donut King. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. Ted negotiated well and got a good commission. To make sure he went through with it, they insisted on hiding behind a curtain while he said his spiel. 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. [1], In 2013, he was living in Phnom Penh working in real estate. She belonged to a high ranking officer, you know like a princess in Cambodia, very rich and very powerful family. Suganthini was terrified, but she let the stranger stay. And he saw an opportunity. When there was an overrun of pink doughnut boxes Ted bought them cut-price, and the pink boxes became his trademark. More land deals followed and he has now worked his way back to being a millionaire. 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. Ted Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. Then, after falling out with a powerful political rival he feared for his life and fled to the US. A week later, Suganthini wrote back, and the two began a secret correspondence. Theres this portion in the film that goes into Ted and his ex-wife Christys experiences in Orange County during the 70s. Ngoy returned to Cambodia without his wife (they would subsequently divorce) and mounted a failed political campaign. Faced with such determination, her family allowed the young lovers to be together. Tell us about your wife. They married and started a family, and life was good until civil war broke out in 1970, between the government and the communist Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. "Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives. His party did poorly in the 1993 and 1998 parliamentary elections, but Prime Minister Hun Sen made him an advisor on commerce and agriculture. Ngoy tried Gamblers Anonymous. I cry. He had burned a lot of bridges and at the time his children hardly spoke to him. ", But in the end, he says, he beat it. They went to Europe twice. It was a humbling experience, and the lowest point in his life. When I become big guy, then I cannot go gamble because people wont vote for you. He is nicknamed the "Donut King." He is nicknamed the "Donut King." There were some hurt relationships. "Before I'd never gambled, but like all the compulsive gamblers in the world, first you throw in a couple of bucks, $10, $20. The stranger who crept into her room more than 35 years ago is a stranger again. An owner could keep costs low by employing his family. We had an instant connection and it felt like we were meant to be doing this story together. One night, during his shift at a gas station, the scent of freshly baked goods wafted toward him. Gab Chabrn reflects on growing up in L.A. in a Latino home that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and the traditions they formed instead. I said, 'Because it's incredible, for one. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. With the pastor's permission he went out and got two more jobs, as a sales person from 6pm to 10pm and petrol attendant from 10pm to 6am. He was bleeding out and her parents were like, 'Oh, God. He wrote a book called The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin and he gave really fascinating insights into donut culture, history and our relationship to donuts in America. Yes, you read that right. Tell me more about how they connected to the local community.Ted came in the 70s and it was quite homogeneously white in Orange County at the time and a lot of people had never seen an Asian person, much less heard of a place called Cambodia. 2023 BBC. By 1985, 10 years after arriving in the US as refugees, Ted and Christy were millionaires, owning around 60 doughnut shops. The Ngoys went to Las Vegas for the first time in 1977. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. He helped them apply for permits. Theres also the moment where Ted revisits his former home in Mission Viejo. He had met Richard Nixon, the former president, and Presidents Reagan and George HW Bush. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles. One of Ngoy's first jobs in the US was as a service station attendant. Then he would return to Vegas in an attempt to win back what he had lost. Director Alice Gu makes her film debut with The Donut King, following the life of Ted Ngoy. "I did not have time to take care of business, so business was going down. 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. Then, he lost it all. [5] She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography. . He credits his Christian faith with finally curing his gambling addiction, although he confesses he liked to bet on football games until last year. I just want to create as many as I can, he said. Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Suspected shooter in attacks on Jewish men was on FBIs radar, LAPD chief says, Caregiver accused in Manhattan Beach child sexual abuse case believed to be in Philippines, Prosecution presents closing arguments in Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Intel agencies say theres no sign adversaries were behind Havana syndrome, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Its really bad up here. Stranded residents in San Bernardino Mountains brace for more snow, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a jungle and Maya ruins, Dr. Simi is a TikTok star. [8], Author Ryka Aoki describes Ngoy as legend in our Asian-American community and inspiration for her award-winning novel Light From Uncommon Stars for both his stealing books process and the legacy of Cambodian-American donut shops in Southern California. He borrowed money from relatives who had leased his doughnut shops. Once back in Orange County, he bet more than ever. After a civil war broke out and Phnom Penh fell to the communist Khmer. Drenched and bleeding, he tiptoed into a hallway. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. I ate the whole thing. Ngoy showed them baking and bookkeeping. It was a strategy that ended up working for them. With the help of his brother-in-law, he was promoted to major and appointed military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. Christy has remarried and lives in Lake Forest, not far from their three adult children, who all live in Orange County. People made fun of his accent. He did as he was told, but then pulled out a knife and stabbed himself, declaring he would rather die than live without her. At 16, she had no friends, could not talk to boys and was forbidden to leave home alone. One night he asked the woman at the counter if saving $3,000 would be enough to buy a doughnut shop. But with great riches come great temptations. And then we opened second store in Fullerton, and when they opened, I also train people and my wage, Christi, also . The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. Ted Ngoy made a fortune in doughnuts. I wanted to tell this story in a way that was inspirational and optimistic. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. But then one of Suganthini's servants appeared at his door with a reply. After Ted revealed his presence to Christy, he hid under her bed until he was eventually discovered and her family allowed them be together. More and more relatives came forward for sponsorship. Ted Ngoy: Yeah. "If I need the vote, I cannot gamble. Gu's documentary, Ngoy lived in an attic apartment a few blocks from the Khoeun familys mansion. He woke her up and she was about to scream for help, when she realised it was her classmate. He had spent all his money on electioneering and on a failed attempt to introduce a new type of hybridised rice, which he believed would improve yields. You cannot resist against it.. The Donut King Where are they now?. But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. I just first hurt my wife, Christy, my children and hurt many, many other people, too, because, when we needed money. LAist.com/radio. Ted and a lot of the Asians who came aligned themselves with the Republican party. Los Angeles Times She would drive there with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him. , the "She was so beautiful," he remembers. When he lost big, he would sign the stores over to them. Night after night, he watched customers come and go. 50? Ted became deeply religious. "I learned to bake, to take care of payroll, cleaning, sales - everything," he says. Whenever Ted won, the family would rejoice with him. "[1] He says his Christian faith ultimately helped him abandon the habit. 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. "I'd want [people] to know about not only the journey of the donut itself but the story of the people behind it, the people making the donuts," Tao says. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. He had $50,000 riding on many Sundays. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchell's in Newport Beach. 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. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment) When you first reached out to Ted, it. "I achieved my American dream," Ted says. Suganthini's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her he didn't love her. Ted Ngoy, who was known as the doughnut king, lives in Phnom Penh. Ted managed to escape on the last flight out of Phnom Penh but Suganthini's parents were left behind. [6][3], Ngoy bought additional doughnut shops in Orange County. ", "I was like, 'What on earth makes this Cambodian? I told them I'm very sorry 1,000 times. Today, at 62, the doughnut king is broke, homeless and dependent on the goodwill of his few remaining friends. Suganthinis parents kept her locked in her room for days. I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. Los Angeles Times Within a decade, he had become a multimillionaire with a lakeside mansion . ', "If you could turn the clock around, I would do that. Ted resides in Cambodia where he splits his time between Phnom Pen and Kep, a province in Southern Cambodia that's famous for its crab fishing industry. According to Tao, the servants caught on to Ted's presence after a few days but didn't say anything. Gu first needed to find Ted Ngoy but she had no idea how to do it. Doughnut revenue put their children through college. I thought I would just get an exterior scene for context. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. Is there anything that you left on the cutting room floor that you still think about?There are a lot of things that I still think about on the cutting room floor. Well, the biggest problem I was facing, that was the gambling, and it completely wiped me out, you know, separate of the family. Why would anybody be interested in my story?' Some of those he borrowed from were the people he had leased doughnut shops to. People love her and shes beautiful. Tao did everything in her power to help Gu. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. L.A. became the country's epicenter of donut culture when Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian immigrant, arrived in California during the 1970s. 'How I got rich beating men at their own game'. No days off. I thought it was so profound that this was the very same community that just a couple of decades earlier were making fun of somebody who worked at the counter and had an accent. Ngoy told Suganthini that he didnt love her. Over the years, he says he sponsored more than 100 Cambodian families that wanted to come to the U.S. Yes, you read that right. ", Alice Gu's documentary, 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 (produced by Maryam Maruf), Ted Ngoy's autobiography is called The Donut King: the rags to riches story of a poor immigrant that changed the world. Eventually he and Christy were left with just one doughnut shop, which they decided to sell. So he named his own political party the Free Development Republican Party. Suganthini smuggled him food at night, and after many days she said she loved him too. I ended up not sharing that donut. They wont trust you, he said. In 1993 Ted and Christy moved back to Cambodia. It provided a path for refugees to settle and was a profitable business model. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. 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. In the early 1970s, Cambodia was in the midst of a brutal civil war that displaced two million people, more than a quarter of the country's population. Following his time in the nation's capital, Ngoy spent time in a monastery in the Thai countryside where he spent his morning begging for alms. He dissolved his party and accused the government of corruption. It was love at first bite. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. Then he opened his first independent shop in La Habra, eventually covering the rest of O.C. Once, he was a poor boy who carried away one of Cambodias wealthiest daughters. Buddha cannot help me.. On hearing the music float across the quiet city, Suganthini's mother remarked that whoever was playing must be in love. That is because I had a buttermilk bar about 30 seconds out of the fryer with fresh glaze on it. in Santa Monica. Ted, who spoke four languages, was offered a post as liaison officer in Thailand by Suganthini's brother-in-law, Gen Sak Sutsakhan. Christy Ngoy now owns a Peruvian restaurant in Irvine. In saffron robes and shaved head, the doughnut king spent a month meditating. The other discovery for me was what I called Donut Generation 2.0, the kids who go to take over the parents mom and pop shops. While Ted was immersed in Cambodian politics, Christy flew to the US for the birth of a grandchild. Beautiful views aren't the only thing drawing Angelenos to the region. All night long Ted would watch people buying coffee and doughnuts, and he realised it was a good business. But he admits he was also aware that conquering Suganthini's heart held out the promise of a better life. As word of Ted's success spread, Cambodian immigrants started seeking him out when they arrived in Southern California. Sent to the city to study, Ngoy met the beautiful Suganthini Khoeun who was the daughter of a government. California Sunday Instead, she told him about a training programme run by the doughnut chain, Winchell's. You just have to see the opportunity and go for it. Those are the wise words of Ted Ngoy. One by one, Ted lost all of his donut shops. The Ngoys decided to keep uniformity amongst their shops, naming subsequent acquisitions Christy's. "[1], Ted Ngoy was born in the Cambodian village of Sisophon near the country's border with Thailand. goes to your local theater. Doughnuts offered an escape from years of welfare dependency. Which donut shop do you find yourself going back to for the sake of eating a donut?I had my out of body experience at DKs Donuts and Bakery in Santa Monica. Phnom Penh Post Ted Ngoy was reaping rewards of that success. He had hidden a dagger and he took it out and stabbed himself three times. 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. How to get the best eggs in town without leaving your yard. Despite his success, he said, he felt unhappy and isolated. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin hired Ngoy as a janitor. I'm not famous. 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. The gambling is sad, the saddest part of my life.". 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. Baby Yoda cocktails. Oklahoma-style smash burgers and Georgian dumplings make for some excellent cheap bites in Glendale, Husband and wife Felix Agyei and Hazel Rojas combine food from their heritages, creating a marriage of West African and Filipino cooking. Seasonal Halloween donuts at DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. I cant take credit for it, but I do feel like in the making of this film and having some of these people face feelings that they hadnt confronted in many years, it was very healing. Something else about Orange County that I found so beautiful and touching while we were making this film, there was a man who owned a donut shop in Seal Beach and his wife was stricken with cancer. The birth of a better life. `` with LAs top 5 stories in 3... Away one of Ngoy & # x27 ; s in Newport Beach conquering... Was immersed in Cambodian politics, Christy flew to the U.S, Ted and lot. First time in 1977 saved for a year would sign the stores over to them janitor. Casinos put him up in $ 2,000-a-night suites and offered him VIP to... We were meant to be doing this story in a way that inspirational... Faith ultimately helped him abandon the habit moved back to los Angeles Times a! Opened his first independent Donut shop in La Habra, named after his (. The Free Development Republican party room, she told him about a training programme run by the doughnut chain Winchell... With Thailand to Ted, again, is Mr. Nine lives was soon bigger. Drawing Angelenos to the US as refugees, Ted Ngoy, who the. He watched customers come and go for it from years of welfare dependency If need! Apartment a few days but did n't say anything and mounted a failed political campaign night night... 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