They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. All the latest on Orange County from Orange County. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. Over the years, he led thousands of his countrymen into the business. Over four years nearly two million Cambodians were either executed, or died of starvation, disease and overwork. When you get to the table, youre so emotional, evil in your body, he said. He was ready to be taken by a new passion. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. Using his Republican Party connections, Ngoy successfully lobbied the U.S. for most-favored-nation trade status for Cambodia in 1995, helping create a modern garment industry and thousands of jobs. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. 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. [8] However, the film's directorAlice Gupersuaded him to and, ultimately, he regarded his return as a 'healing experience,' and his ex-wife and children have forgiven him. In 1967, his mother sent him to study in Phnom Penh, the capital. Suganthini replied, "Well be careful, if you don't jump into my room, you'll jump into my mum's room.". Suganthini and her mother heard the music. ', "If you could turn the clock around, I would do that. Ted was dismayed. He was bleeding out and her parents were like, 'Oh, God. Ted now had a new passion - politics. It took longer than 40 years. 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. He had to guess which room was hers. Ngoy's gambling had progressed from the card tables to placing bets on sports games with Cambodian bookies. "Growing up, when you look on the screen, there's not a lot of Asian representation. In our very first phone call, he asked if I was American and I told him that I was Chinese American. Money, doughnuts, sleep.. I was addicted to a feeling, and money was simply the needle that delivered the toxic dose," he writes in his autobiography, also called The Donut King. The ubiquity and low overhead of these Cambodian mom-and-pop donut shops helped drive Dunkin' Donuts out of California in the late '90s. But from then on, every store Ngoy and his wife bought or opened they named Christys Doughnuts. Peace Lutheran Church What is Ted up to in Cambodia nowadays?Ted is doing well. "Using money to provide for others is a feeling as powerful as any drug," he later wrote. 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. Ted Ngoy had served in the Cambodian army as a major fighting communists that were trying to take over that country's government in the 1970s. He borrowed money from relatives who had leased his doughnut shops. "Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives. One involves reggae and another focuses on Puerto Rican musicians. "He was afraid of being shunned and feeling lonely - but I forced him!" He wanted to buy more, but he was exhausted running the five he owned. 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. Bush, met former Presidents Reagan and Nixon, and urged other Asian immigrants to support the GOP. The past I cannot change, but I learned the heavy way. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three . and [6] Gu persuaded him to and, ultimately, he regarded his return as a 'healing experience,' and his ex-wife and children have forgiven him. When people know about the bad reputation, people are not going to vote for me. Cambodia was planning its first elections in 1993, and well-to-do emigres from California were returning to run for office. Then he would return to Vegas in an attempt to win back what he had lost. Their fairy tale romance is so distant, she said, its as if it happened to someone else. He found a second job at a gas station. Devastated that he had broken their pact, she filed for divorce. Before sunrise, they would climb back into her room. That's a disaster," he says. "[10], Whittaker said that "as Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communitiesdefine America has only become more timely."[8]. The whole community banded together and they all agreed to sell him out of donuts every morning by 9 a.m. In the end, filming the documentary was a healing experience for Ted. But it was really the immigrant story. After cry, go back gambling.. But I still win. He bought donut shop after donut shop, leasing them to other Cambodian immigrants, who ran the stores with their families, and taking a monthly cut of each store's profits. Alice found it hard to persuade Ted to return to California for filming. And then we opened second store in Fullerton, and when they opened, I also train people and my wage, Christi, also . [5], Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. Yes, you read that right. Ngoys wife hated his gambling. "He was a little uneasy," Gu says. The Donut King comes out Friday, Oct. 30, online, and when you L.A. became the country's epicenter of donut culture when Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian immigrant, arrived in California during the 1970s. It was hurtful. 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. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles leaving behind his new wife and their two children. Suganthini was terrified, but she let the stranger stay. He had no home and no money, and his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs. Ngoy would often visit Las Vegas for a period of a week, unbeknownst to his wife. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to himself. Ted became known as the Donut King - or Uncle Ted,. "[1] In 1977, the Ngoys took a trip to Las Vegas where Ted saw Elvis Presley. When he was unable to pay back his debt, he would sign over his store to them. I think thats the American way the power of connections and people. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. Suganthini smuggled him food at night, and after many days she said she loved him too. On the porch of a friends mobile home in Long Beach, the Cambodian doughnut king falls asleep each night shivering. He would have no more donuts to sell so he could be with his wife for the rest of the day. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, Rising Egg Prices Are For The Birds. I have to go to school.". His tenants opened their own stores and leased them out. On hearing the music float across the quiet city, Suganthini's mother remarked that whoever was playing must be in love. "It was a different take on a refugee story,". Whenever Ted won, the family would rejoice with him. [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. Her parents and cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship. During the week they went to school, where sometimes they were so hungry they stole snacks from other kids' lunchboxes. Ngoy would make a habit of returning monthly to watch performers such as Tom Jones, Diana Ross, and Wayne Newton and indulging in the incentives pit bosses of major casinos offered all the while spending even larger sums at the card tables. Ngoy tried Gamblers Anonymous. She ended up threatening to starve herself, saying, "If you won't let me be with him, I'm not going to eat.". [1], In 2013, he was living in Phnom Penh working in real estate. 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. With Chuong Pek Lee, Susan Lim, Ted Ngoy, Daewon Song. With the help of his brother-in-law, he was promoted to major and appointed military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand. But he was more than well-off; he was respected. Ngoy would open more shops and lease them to fellow refugees. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. She was lucky that Mayly Tao, whose mom, Chuong Lee, owns the shop, answered the phone. That was super mind blowing for me to hear the political flip-flop and really insightful about another time when politics were more civil and there could be discussion. They arranged a meeting for the couple at a relatives house, where Ngoy was expected to formally end their romance. I did not have time to expand. War erupted in 1970. [3] Ngoy worked at various jobs, including as a travel agent and tour guide, before joining the military in 1970. When I become big guy, then I cannot go gamble because people wont vote for you. [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. Hard work. It's so amazing, so touching.' I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. 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. And she was heavily chaperoned. [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. She was hooked. And I thought, How could that be? Hes passed away now so I cant talk to him about it, but it was a learning experience for me about my parents relationship with politics. Maybe Its Time To Raise Backyard Chickens, Catch A Wave In The Booming South Bay Food Scene: Here Are 11 New Restaurants To Try, Don't Celebrate Thanksgiving? "This story sheds light on refugees in a positive way, about what happens when they're given an opportunity," she says. So he named his own political party the Free Development Republican Party. Director Alice Gu makes her film debut with The Donut King, following the life of Ted Ngoy. Suganthini's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her he didn't love her. A woman from his church lets him sleep in the screened porch outside her mobile home, which he has fashioned into a makeshift bedroom. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. He shaved his head and spent three months barefoot in Thailand, coming back emaciated and a changed man - or so he thought. Ted became their first South East Asian trainee. I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. 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. He had sold what few shops remained. 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. Then Ngoy would fly to Las Vegas without telling her, sometimes staying as long as a week. 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. She would drive there with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him. Heres a list, Greek transportation minister resigns over train collision as death toll keeps rising, Ohios senators to unveil rail safety bill in wake of East Palestine derailment, After months of pounding, Ukrainian official says military may pull back from Bakhmut, Elizabeth Holmes cites her new baby as a reason she should avoid prison for Theranos scam. Then, after falling out with a powerful political rival he feared for his life and fled to the US. Ngoy returned to Cambodia without his wife (they would subsequently divorce) and mounted a failed political campaign. 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. Ted joined the Republican Party, held fundraisers for George H.W. He wanted to be with her, but he had no one else to manage the shop. In return, he played their tables and lost thousands of dollars. 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. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. He had gotten his first taste of that passion years earlier. At the peak of his success, Ted owned something like 65 donut stores many of them named Christy's and was bringing in about $100,000 per month. Working all hours, Ted and Christy knew very little about what was happening back home in Cambodia, but what they heard was bad. He took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day. Some of his relationships didnt end well. What you've done is incredible.' called 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. Once back in Orange County, he bet more than ever. Was there any tension or awkwardness when he visited California again?He came to visit California, I think, with a little bit of trepidation. Long hours. Ngoy attempted Gamblers Anonymous, but denied it helped with his situation, stating that when he went to meetings "I cry, everybody cry. There were some hurt relationships. After earning a communications degree at UC San Diego, Tao worked for a while at a news station but wasn't enthused about that career path. He is working in real estate. Ted now sees that the same character traits that made him take bold risks in life also made it easy for him to fall prey to gambling. The entire family Christy and the three kids worked alongside him. 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. Ted Ngoy, who was known as the doughnut king, lives in Phnom Penh. Despite his success, he said, he felt unhappy and isolated. Ngoy joined the army. They went to Europe twice. Some of those he borrowed from were the people he had leased doughnut shops to. 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. He co-signed loans for supplies and equipment. This is going to happen.'". 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. Eventually he and Christy were left with just one doughnut shop, which they decided to sell. Suganthini became the smiling face behind the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English. 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. Ted Ngoy was born in Sisophon, Cambodia. Ted, who spoke four languages, was offered a post as liaison officer in Thailand by Suganthini's brother-in-law, Gen Sak Sutsakhan. He moved from church to church, until an elderly Cambodian woman allowed him to live on the covered porch of her mobile home. Beautiful views aren't the only thing drawing Angelenos to the region. He did not fare well in either the 1993 or 1998 parliamentary elections, but his friend, Prime Minister Hun Sen, made him an advisor on commerce and agriculture. It provided a path for refugees to settle and was a profitable business model. Those are the sounds of a man in love, her mother said. We had an instant connection and it felt like we were meant to be doing this story together. And he saw an opportunity. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. Ngoy believes he is suffering Gods punishment for having betrayed the blood vow he made as a young man under the moonlight in Phnom Penh. 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 shared love, my heart. None of the people Ngoy helped get started lent him a hand, he said: I trained them. Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [Richard] Nixon. Ted Ngoy, his wife and family pick up the story and walk us through their unbelievable experience, flying to a . 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. While he was recovering in hospital, Suganthini also made an attempt on her life. Then when dinner is ready, she knocks on the door and I open the door to have dinner.". "I learned to bake, to take care of payroll, cleaning, sales - everything," he says. Yeah, My Family Doesn't Either, Soup Dumplings, Kimchi Burritos And More Fast, Cheap Eats In Glendale, At Masarap Cafe, West African and Filipino Cuisines Find Their Pairing, Drinking At Disneyland? Six weeks later, Gu and her producer, Jos Nuez, were on a plane to Cambodia where they spent three days interviewing Ngoy and shooting B-roll. When he lost their money he would just sign over the shop to them - without telling Christy, whose signature he forged. Ngoy lived in an attic apartment a few blocks from the Khoeun familys mansion. Ngoy was one. [5], The film received 69/100 on Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews. "It is the purest form of risk-taking, the distilled anxiety and thrill behind every business decision and bold declaration of love," he writes in his autobiography. Ted negotiated well and got a good commission. , chronicles Ngoy's thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat rollercoaster ride through the American Dream immigration, capitalism, history, hubris, romance, addiction, family and food. I'm no good. Despite never really being a huge success under the previous owners, Christy's became popular under the ownership of the Ngoys. "The note said, 'I appreciate you blowing the flute. "You can't find any prettier woman besides her.". Ngoy built a vast donut shop empire across California and it started in 1970s Orange County. Im also, again, the daughter of Chinese American immigrants and my dad was a big Republican party supporter. No political life, no religious life, just work, work, he said. 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. [4], Ngoy secured work as a janitor with Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin, California. One by one, Ted lost all of his donut shops. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. 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. This documentary tells Ted Ngoy's story that is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. "What happens if I decide to jump into your room?" He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. , to name a few outlets), but Alice Gu is the first to put it on film. The Ngoys helped hundreds of refugees find housing and apply for Social Security cards. About 30 Christys Doughnuts were still in operation, as were hundreds of other Cambodian-owned doughnut shops. "It went like fire on the hill, so fast," says Ted. He joined Gamblers Anonymous but was back at the tables in no time. Where are they now?. At school, Ngoy fell in love from afar with a beautiful girl. In 1978 Vietnamese troops invaded and in 1979 Pol Pot was overthrown, leading to another wave of Cambodian refugees. Then, he lost it all. Ted's story is told in a new documentary. Then he flew to a monastery in the Thai countryside. "I achieved my American dream," Ted says. Ngoy forged her signature on checks. He is nicknamed the "Donut King. He had hidden a dagger and he took it out and stabbed himself three times. One night in a pouring rain, Ngoy scaled a coconut tree beside the wall surrounding her home. Broke, Ted and Christy returned to Cambodia. "If I need the vote, I cannot gamble. The son of a peddler had no chance with such a girl, no right even to think of loving her. The following month, US President Gerald Ford insisted the US should welcome 130,000 refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia, telling any critics: "We're a country built by immigrants from all areas of the world, and we've always been a very humanitarian nation.". This is an incredible story of how he helped people. 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. Like Ngoy, most of the people who leased his stores were Chinese Cambodian. "'You want to tell my story? He also sponsored more than 100 Cambodian refugee families and established a path of financial opportunity for them in America. Soldiers and dogs guarded the mansion. She said he would be throwing his money away. He slept under the bed and hid when the maids came to clean. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Ngoy asked to visit. These are kids who are American educated. 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. Word spread. Ted liked Cadillacs; Christy preferred Mercedes-Benz convertibles. 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