A day before he left, his eldest son said if you have $3.2 million you can buy it. Ted and Christy are divorced. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. In return, he played their tables and lost thousands of dollars. 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. You just have to see the opportunity and go for it. Those are the wise words of Ted Ngoy. When he completed his three-month training, Winchell's gave him a shop to run on Balboa Pier, a tourist spot on the Newport peninsula not far from Tustin. [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. ", "I was like, 'What on earth makes this Cambodian? For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit Inspired by the economic success of Taiwan, Ted decided to lobby the US for "most favoured nation" status, which would open the door to foreign investment. That phrase Donut King is already so eye-catching right off the bat. The world moves so quickly now, but I do believe that it is still real and it is still possible. He was raised by his mother, who was from Shantou, Guangdong, and who only spoke Chinese. Long-lost ship found at the bottom of Lake Huron, confirming story of tragic collision, TikTok to set default daily time limit of up to 60 minutes for minors, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, TikTok faces bans in a number of countries over security fears. He was, however, invited to become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture. That's because of a refugee who built up an empire, and became known as the Donut King, only to lose it all. . Also Jerry Brown, who weve seen in California as our beacon of hope and morality, in 1975 was actually the opposite. Ted was dismayed. Within a decade, he had become a multimillionaire with a lakeside mansion . [4], Ngoy secured work as a janitor with Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin, California. He is nicknamed the "Donut King." He is nicknamed the "Donut King." They made a blood pact, promising to be forever faithful. He had $50,000 riding on many Sundays. While he was recovering in hospital, Suganthini also made an attempt on her life. Ted did a lot of the baking at night, with his youngest son, Chris, collecting a light dusting of flour as he slept beside him in the kitchen. I think thats the American way the power of connections and people. It provided a path for refugees to settle and was a profitable business model. But he admits he was also aware that conquering Suganthini's heart held out the promise of a better life. All that money paid for expensive clothes, luxury cars, fancy trips and an opulent home in Mission Viejo. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. At school, Ngoy fell in love from afar with a beautiful girl. When Christy returned to California for the birthday of a grandchild in 1999, Ngoy met a young woman and brought her to live in his house. Cambodian Americans control an estimated 80 percent of the donut market in California thanks largely to one man- Ted Ngoy, otherwise known as The Donut King. "Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives. Suganthinis parents hoped she would marry well. She ended up threatening to starve herself, saying, "If you won't let me be with him, I'm not going to eat.". And he has a new goal. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. He credits his Christian faith with finally curing his gambling addiction, although he confesses he liked to bet on football games until last year. He was fortunate to escape with his wife, two kids and some relatives, arriving in California where he and his family were housed in a. . Buddha cannot help me.. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment) When you first reached out to Ted, it. Seasonal Halloween donuts at DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Christy always forgave him, but word got around that Ted could no longer be trusted. He took a chance and opened a bedroom door - and there was Suganthini, fast asleep. Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [Richard] Nixon. He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. But with great riches come great temptations. 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. 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. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. Two days after Gu's out-of-the-blue call to DK's Donuts, she was talking to Ngoy in Cambodia. 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. He lobbied his contacts in the Republican inner circle, including Senator John McCain, and MFN status was granted permanently in 1996. Interestingly, largely because of Democratic policy we got a grant for our camera and it came from this girl, who was the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who landed in Arkansas. What was it like?I spoke with him and he was in Cambodia. "I came back to L.A. and I didn't know that I was going to create this crazy explosion in the business. ", But in the end, he says, he beat it. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. That is because I had a buttermilk bar about 30 seconds out of the fryer with fresh glaze on it. When you first reached out to Ted, it was a cold call. 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. He landed in LA with less than $100 in his pocket - all the money he had left. He remarried and had four more children - the youngest two are still at school. Long hours. Upon deeper glance, it was so personal for me. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to himself. Her parents and cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship. Yes, you read that right. After setting up a sweet shop of his own, he helped fellow . At the weekend the oldest children, Chet and Savy, then nine and eight, helped out by pouring coffee, packing doughnuts and folding boxes. I gave her my spiel, and she said, 'Well, you've called the right person. And then we started communicating, bringing back and forth the messages," Ted says. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. At 16, she had no friends, could not talk to boys and was forbidden to leave home alone. He turned down a job as a security guard because it required standing for eight hours. 60? I am the child of immigrants who came and moved here for the American dream. It's so amazing, so touching.' And then I hate the gambling and then I hate that I treat Christy so badly, treat my children so badly, because of the gambling, so I hate myself," he says. Never give up. 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. Then he opened his first independent shop in La Habra, eventually covering the rest of O.C. And that's what he did. He ran to the shop across the street where he bought a donut. Ngoy managed to escape just as Phnom Penh was falling and brought his wife, Suganthini, and their three children to America in the mid-1970s. Cambodia was planning its first elections in 1993, and well-to-do emigres from California were returning to run for office. Christy and Ted bought a $1-million, three-story, 7,000-square-foot house with palm trees and a three-car garage on Lake Mission Viejo in Orange County. "After cry, go back gambling," he told one interviewer. At loose ends, she returned to Los Angeles and, once again, started helping with the family business. He did as he was told, but then pulled out a knife and stabbed himself, declaring he would rather die than live without her. Over the last few years, Tao has rebranded the shop with a colorful, hot pink logo and experimented in the kitchen, producing eye-catching, Instagram-friendly creations and original flavors. He wanted to buy more, but he was exhausted running the five he owned. The Donut King is told through archival footage, animation, and interviews with family members alongside Ted Ngoy, who has tried to make peace with those who he's hurt including Mel Allison, a 91-year-old baker still at it at Winchell's. Ngoy told Suganthini that he didnt love her. "I did not have time to take care of business, so business was going down. "[5] Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic. [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. I dont know who I am right now, he said. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. 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. Theyre savvy, young, hip. Doughnuts offered an escape from years of welfare dependency. He had met Richard Nixon, the former president, and Presidents Reagan and George HW Bush. buy a ticket What you've done is incredible.' Aside from what Ted became deeply religious. By the mid-1980s, he was a millionaire. The two had met as teenage classmates in Phnom Penh. "He's like, 'You know what? We were taxed to the hilt, unemployment was high and he was very reluctant to give refugees a home here when Californians were out of work. Ted and a lot of the Asians who came aligned themselves with the Republican party. He had burned a lot of bridges and at the time his children hardly spoke to him. "a short-lived comeback in Sacramento in 2002," the Massachusetts-based company didn't return to the Golden State Mismanagement, Sloppy Hiring Practices, Lack Of Transparency. The documentary goes back and forth between Ngoy and the present-day lives of second- and third-generation donut shop kids or what Gu refers to as Donut Generation 2.0. Don't die. He hosted Dan Quayle and Pete Wilson at his house. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. "They forgive me fully. I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. in Tustin sponsored the family, allowing them to live in the church where Ted worked as a janitor. Before sunrise, they would climb back into her room. Everybody cry, he said. "If I need the vote, I cannot gamble. "He was a little uneasy," Gu says. They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. I believed him a thousand times, she said. called A week later, Suganthini wrote back, and the two began a secret correspondence. You see some of these families and their stores in The Donut King You will end up destroying the whole family and no more relationship with the world, just finished. "I learned to bake, to take care of payroll, cleaning, sales - everything," he says. Yes, you read that right. The film flashes back to the horror of life in 1970s Cambodia, a tragic offshoot of the Vietnam war that eliminated thousands of lives. And she said she knew a lot of people in her parents generation who are lifelong Republicans and thats why they hate the Democratic party. He says he hid in her room for 45 days until he was discovered. He had hidden a dagger and he took it out and stabbed himself three times. In English, Mandarin and Cambodian with English subtitles; Not rated, Playing: Regency South Coast Village, Santa Ana, and in limited release where theaters are open; available via virtual cinemas, including Laemmle Theatres. You cannot resist against it.. How to get the best eggs in town without leaving your yard. One night in a pouring rain, Ngoy scaled a coconut tree beside the wall surrounding her home. One night, he saw Suganthini on her balcony, and decided it was time to make his move. 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. Still homeless, he moved to the coastal town of Kep, on the Gulf of Thailand. Then I went to America, Ngoy said, and created the doughnut world.. In 1993 Ted and Christy moved back to Cambodia. "They're a good company and I owe them gratitude," Ted says. 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. More and more relatives came forward for sponsorship. On Sundays he would go to the church where her son was the pastor and join in Bible studies. [3] Ngoy worked at various jobs, including as a travel agent and tour guide, before joining the military in 1970. That is a lie, he cried, and plunged the blade into his belly. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, and the Cambodian genocide began. They saved money where they could, even washing and reusing coffee stirrers - until they were reprimanded by Winchell's. Ngoy bought his first doughnut shop from a couple who was retiring. until 2014 [6], The Donut King had its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition the South by Southwest film festival. 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. He had no way of making a living until a Chinese contact from better days asked him to help out with a real estate deal. Ted's story is told in a new documentary. "[8] Giving it three-out-of-four stars, Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com called the The Donut King "a heartwarming albeit scattered documentary from director Alice Gu," and praised the film for "its balance of poppy visuals and detailed history. Los Angeles Times He joined Gamblers Anonymous but was back at the tables in no time. After a little research, Gu discovered that a huge number of California's independent donut shops, maybe 80-90%, are owned by Cambodian Americans, mostly thanks to Ngoy. Ted encouraged others to do the same. 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. "Cambodian people owe them a lot.". 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. He cut his chest sliding under barbed wire. Because of the Ngoys, a Cambodian refugees first American job was often in a doughnut shop. [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. Ngoy also involved himself in American politics, joining the Republican Party and hosting fundraisers for George H. W. Bush and encouraged fellow Cambodian immigrants to support the GOP. in Irvine, Bush, met former Presidents Reagan and Nixon, and urged other Asian immigrants to support the GOP. According to Tao, the servants caught on to Ted's presence after a few days but didn't say anything. He said that we didnt have room for these refugees here. Once, he was a poor boy who carried away one of Cambodias wealthiest daughters. I go to borrow. She would forgive him when he promised to stop, and he would -- for a while. , chronicles Ngoy's thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat rollercoaster ride through the American Dream immigration, capitalism, history, hubris, romance, addiction, family and food. 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. 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. He left behind his new wife and their two children, and what he had seen as his last chance at redemption. Theres also the moment where Ted revisits his former home in Mission Viejo. The family worked 12 to 17 hours a day, with all hands on deck. Also, significantly for Ngoy, other Cambodian refugees and their children donuts. 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