. 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. 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. Ngoy and his wife became American citizens and were . But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. Where Im going, I dont know. "I became a very, very bad man and borrowed money here and there," he says. He is working in real estate. "It's impossible to explain that money had nothing to do with it. And then we opened second store in Fullerton, and when they opened, I also train people and my wage, Christi, also . Ngoy fled with his wife, three young children, two cousins and a nephew to the United States in 1975. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. He became Ted. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. Then he pulled a knife. Some of those he borrowed from were the people he had leased doughnut shops to. "He's like, 'You know what? He subsists on small handouts from friends. Faced with such determination, her family allowed the young lovers to be together. Ted negotiated well and got a good commission. [5] The rise & fall of The Donut King. in San Clemente and, of course, DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. 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. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three . His sponsor told him people will have their prejudices but they mean well. He hired his wife and nephew. Gambling is a devil. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. You will end up destroying the whole family and no more relationship with the world, just finished. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. The couple and their three toddlers arrived penniless at Camp Pendleton, part of the first wave of Cambodian refugees. Still homeless, he moved to the coastal town of Kep, on the Gulf of Thailand. It actually made national, if not international, news about the kindness of these people in Orange County. Long hours. 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. Hes really funny. The Donut King diretcor Alice Gu talks about what led her to make a film about Ted Ngoy, her first intro to the phenomenon of Cambodian donut shops and how she got a Wu-Tang song in the score. [1], That's why I want to tell the world, "Do not gamble." "Growing up, when you look on the screen, there's not a lot of Asian representation. He woke her up and she was about to scream for help, when she realised it was her classmate. When they were released, the cash was gone. He wrapped the note around a stone, and threw it down. She would discover big losses, and they would argue, sending their children running to their rooms. 'How I got rich beating men at their own game'. Channy also wholesales doughnuts to other minimarts. It's so amazing, so touching.' 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. "But many of them were not related, they just lived in the same village or heard of my name. I'm not famous. Filmmaker Alice Gu (left) poses with Mayly Tao outside DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Eventually Cambodians owned so many doughnut shops in California that they dominated the market, pushing Winchell's into second place. That same year, President Gerald Ford signed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, allowing 130,000 people from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to come to the U.S. California's Governor at the time, Jerry Brown, opposed the move, saying, in a clip that's featured in The Donut King, "When we have a million people out of work, when we have our own people taxed to the hilt, I'm just very slow to just open the floodgates and say come on in unless we provide a way to put Americans to work.". His mother raised him in a rural village near Cambodias border with Thailand. From the wall, he leaped onto the roof and crawled through an open window. Gu says Christy's family then threatened to kill Ted but his mother made a deal with them. Before sunrise, they would climb back into her room. [5] Having grown up in Los Angeles, she was doubtful when her children's nanny made a reference to "Cambodian" donuts; she thought all donuts were simply "American." [5] Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic. Doing this film was really an exploration for me of understanding where you come from. "Don't worry, I will hide under your bed," said Ted. What drew you to Teds story at the start?Finding out about his story, its fascinating a guy who comes here penniless and becomes a Donut King. How to get the best eggs in town without leaving your yard. Ted became known as the Donut King - or Uncle Ted,. It was really wonderful. The Ngoys helped hundreds of refugees find housing and apply for Social Security cards. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, and the Cambodian genocide began. He was a fraud, he said. "And she says, 'Because Cambodian people make them.'". 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. Casino operators gave Ngoy free rooms, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights. That's a disaster," he says. He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. About 30 Christys Doughnuts were still in operation, as were hundreds of other Cambodian-owned doughnut shops. "They're a good company and I owe them gratitude," Ted says. Once back in Orange County, he bet more than ever. 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. Working all hours, Ted and Christy knew very little about what was happening back home in Cambodia, but what they heard was bad. Once, he enjoyed the warmth of family and the respect of his community. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. [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. But the name was misleading. Eager to learn the business, Ngoy approached the shop owners. Eventually he and Christy were left with just one doughnut shop, which they decided to sell. Gab Chabrn reflects on growing up in L.A. in a Latino home that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and the traditions they formed instead. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment). He enjoyed meeting the younger generation of doughnut makers, who are innovating and inventing new flavours. He dissolved his party and accused the government of corruption. I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. He suggested that Ted hang out in the back and to put Christy in the front. 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. In 1978 Vietnamese troops invaded and in 1979 Pol Pot was overthrown, leading to another wave of Cambodian refugees. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. 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 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. When he couldn't pay them back because he had gambled the money away, Ted signed away his ownership stake in those stores. "That's why I want to tell the world, 'Do not gamble.' They barely talked to him. He also apologised to many of those he hurt. Ted Ngoy, who was known as the doughnut king, lives in Phnom Penh. The whole community banded together and they all agreed to sell him out of donuts every morning by 9 a.m. Dear reader, we're asking you to help us keep local news available for all. Ngoys wife hated his gambling. But I still win. Ngoy's epic rags-to-riches-to-rags story has been chronicled before (in the And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. Driving back with $85,000 cash in the boot of the car, they were stopped by the police; they had fallen behind with payments, so the car showed up as stolen. 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. Well, the biggest problem I was facing, that was the gambling, and it completely wiped me out, you know, separate of the family. He took a chance and opened a bedroom door - and there was Suganthini, fast asleep. One night, he saw Suganthini on her balcony, and decided it was time to make his move. These are all people who present day you dont associate with welcoming refugees with open arms. In saffron robes and shaved head, the doughnut king spent a month meditating. Theres this portion in the film that goes into Ted and his ex-wife Christys experiences in Orange County during the 70s. [4], Ngoy secured work as a janitor with Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin, California. called On Sundays, he attends Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach. Under the Khmer Rouge leadership of Pol Pot people were forced to work on communal farms, and those with money or education were tortured and killed. 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. At each stop, they set up the business and trained the families who leased it. Ngoy forged her signature on checks. When Christy's parents eventually discovered the ruse, they were furious. Cambodia was planning its first elections in 1993, and well-to-do emigres from California were returning to run for office. She was hooked. They saw Elvis Presley perform, and Ted played a little blackjack. After a civil war broke out and Phnom Penh fell to the communist Khmer. It smelled delicious and when he first tasted one it reminded him of something from home - a fried pastry, also circular, called nom kong. Doughnut revenue put their children through college. But then Ted discovered that the tiny room where he lodged, on the fourth floor of a walk-up apartment block, overlooked Suganthini's villa. "It's a devil, it's a monster. He has found his way to be wealthy again. [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. Three U.S. presidents course, DK 's Donuts in Santa Monica [ 1 ] Ngoy. Pendleton, part of the first wave of Cambodian refugees to Do with it planning its first in! 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