Tao did everything in her power to help Gu. 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. He co-signed loans for supplies and equipment. When he was working in the donut shop, he went to his sponsor and said he was having a hard time. One by one, Ted lost all of his donut shops. she says. "I had true love for her.". "I became a very, very bad man and borrowed money here and there," he says. [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. . Working all hours, Ted and Christy knew very little about what was happening back home in Cambodia, but what they heard was bad. A day before he left, his eldest son said if you have $3.2 million you can buy it. Theres this portion in the film that goes into Ted and his ex-wife Christys experiences in Orange County during the 70s. [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. 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. 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. Through doughnuts, many Cambodians stepped out of isolation and into the American mainstream. And she was heavily chaperoned. After cry, go back gambling.. That is a lie, he cried, and plunged the blade into his belly. He woke her up and she was about to scream for help, when she realised it was her classmate. "They're a good company and I owe them gratitude," Ted says. So he named his own political party the Free Development Republican Party. Mismanagement, Sloppy Hiring Practices, Lack Of Transparency. "This friendly voice picks up the phone, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English. 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. L.A. became the country's epicenter of donut culture when Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian immigrant, arrived in California during the 1970s. About 30 Christys Doughnuts were still in operation, as were hundreds of other Cambodian-owned doughnut shops. Their fairy tale romance is so distant, she said, its as if it happened to someone else. until 2014 I just want to create as many as I can, he said. She divorced him and didnt return to Cambodia. 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. "[7] In a positive review, Richard Whittaker with The Austin Chronicle said that "Gu does stellar work compiling and constructing Ngoys life story through interviews and archive and contemporary footage," and added "the animation sequences by Chapeau Studios and 1881 Animation that make the perfect drizzle of icing. 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? Word spread. They have social media and know how to work it to innovate their parents old donut shops with a worldwide following. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. He also apologised to many of those he hurt. In 1990, after disappearing for another disastrous trip to Las Vegas, he flew to Washington, D.C., and joined a Buddhist monastery. "I never back down. Beautiful views aren't the only thing drawing Angelenos to the region. 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. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. They both drank and vowed to be faithful. Then I went to America, Ngoy said, and created the doughnut world.. Suganthinis parents hoped she would marry well. A bank had foreclosed on his mansion on Lake Mission Viejo. 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. But within weeks he was back on a plane to Vegas. Ted Ngoy was reaping rewards of that success. Then when dinner is ready, she knocks on the door and I open the door to have dinner.". Suganthini was terrified, but she let the stranger stay. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. He also figured that as a prominent politician, he would be forced to control his gambling habit. The Ngoys helped hundreds of refugees find housing and apply for Social Security cards. [3] Ngoy worked at various jobs, including as a travel agent and tour guide, before joining the military in 1970. "It's impossible to explain that money had nothing to do with it. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment). [2][3][4], The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. in Santa Monica. Ted, Christy and their two kids fled to Thailand. Ngoy returned to Cambodia without his wife (they would subsequently divorce) and mounted a failed political campaign. "This story sheds light on refugees in a positive way, about what happens when they're given an opportunity," she says. I wanted to tell this story in a way that was inspirational and optimistic. But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. Christy was in the front and made a lot of inroads with the community and built a lot of bridges. The Ngoys drove a motor home around California, opening shops in Los Angeles, Modesto, Fresno, San Jose, the Bay Area city of Brisbane, Sacramento and San Diego. Money, doughnuts, sleep.. When the couple recovered, her parents finally allowed them to marry. It's so amazing, so touching.' A daughter owns a 1950s-style hamburger restaurant in Orange County. Despite his success, he said, he felt unhappy and isolated. She later discovered that they were among the first to be executed by the Khmer Rouge. Everybody went to the gold mine, Ngoy said. He left behind his new wife and their two children, and what he had seen as his last chance at redemption. They made a blood pact, promising to be forever faithful. Gu first needed to find Ted Ngoy but she had no idea how to do it. "[1] In 1977, the Ngoys took a trip to Las Vegas where Ted saw Elvis Presley. The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LAs top 5 stories in just 3 minutes. Ngoy would often visit Las Vegas for a period of a week, unbeknownst to his wife. In this condensed and edited conversation, Gu talks about the American dream, Cambodian American Republicans, 1970s Orange County and the best donut she ate during filming. Ted was dismayed. Former staff writer Vera Castaneda covered arts, entertainment, lifestyle and issues related to Orange County for TimesOC, a community newspaper owned by the Los Angeles Times. Ngoy bought his first doughnut. If you can dream it, they're probably mixing it somewhere on property. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. Near the station was a doughnut shop. Ted soon got a job working at Winchell's, which was then the dominant donut chain on the West Coast. This caused tension in the Ngoy household, being the center of many arguments between Ngoy and his wife. Suganthini smuggled him food at night, and after many days she said she loved him too. Her parents and cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship. Volcanic tiki drinks. [5], The film received 69/100 on Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews. Ted did try to curb his habit. He had met Richard Nixon, the former president, and Presidents Reagan and George HW Bush. Interviews can sometimes feel like a therapy session. He built a donut empire and $20 million in wealth, but his fortune built on donuts would crumble and he would lose it all. It was helping his community and it was a bit of a cautionary tale.". 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. Ngoy asked to visit. Yes, you read that right. I never loved you.' "Growing up, when you look on the screen, there's not a lot of Asian representation. So I decided to change.". 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. She belonged to a high ranking officer, you know like a princess in Cambodia, very rich and very powerful family. As word of Ted's success spread, Cambodian immigrants started seeking him out when they arrived in Southern California. In our very first phone call, he asked if I was American and I told him that I was Chinese American. They had a vacation home in Big Bear and a time share in Acapulco. Cambodia was poor and under-developed after years of war. "Before I'd never gambled, but like all the compulsive gamblers in the world, first you throw in a couple of bucks, $10, $20. [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. He enjoyed meeting the younger generation of doughnut makers, who are innovating and inventing new flavours. He was very surprised that anybody would find him and want to tell his stories. After cry, go back gambling." Twice he joined a Buddhist monastery. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. Even in gambling. He hosted Dan Quayle and Pete Wilson at his house. Devastated that he had broken their pact, she filed for divorce. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. This documentary tells Ted Ngoy's story that is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. [1], In 2013, he was living in Phnom Penh working in real estate. "[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. That really broke the ice for us. Ngoy wrote to her. Despite never really being a huge success under the previous owners, Christy's became popular under the ownership of the Ngoys. I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. 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. In 1975, Ted Ngoy fled the war in Cambodia with his wife and three kids and arrived in America as a penniless refugee. Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [Richard] Nixon. I think thats the American way the power of connections and people. He lost all the doughnuts, said James Dok, director of the United Cambodian Community, a social service agency in Long Beach. "What happens if I decide to jump into your room?" On Sundays he would go to the church where her son was the pastor and join in Bible studies. "I cry. "I learned to bake, to take care of payroll, cleaning, sales - everything," he says. Ted is my great uncle,'" Gu says. Now, he is in real estate development," Gu says. In 1967, his mother sent him to study in Phnom Penh, the capital. Two days after Gu's out-of-the-blue call to DK's Donuts, she was talking to Ngoy in Cambodia. But it was really the immigrant story. Doughnut revenue put their children through college. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. Christy Ngoy now owns a Peruvian restaurant in Irvine. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. You see some of these families and their stores in The Donut King Christy's parents said they would let Ted live if he told Christy that he was a dog who had romanced other girls and had never loved her. He had lost the respect of his family and community. In the 1980s and '90s, when Dunkin' Donuts tried to establish itself on the West Coast, his frosted, deep-fried empire sent the company packing. 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. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. Christys Doughnuts in La Habra never did great business. Everybody cry, he said. 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 Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. What new information did you learn in the making of the film?There was a lot that was new to me. Baby Yoda cocktails. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Key grant funding to help O.C. 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. Doughnuts offered an escape from years of welfare dependency. He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. It actually made national, if not international, news about the kindness of these people in Orange County. Next to the petrol station there was a doughnut shop called DK Donuts. Eventually Cambodians owned so many doughnut shops in California that they dominated the market, pushing Winchell's into second place. The donut business isnt easy. He and his family barely escaped and were among. "You can't find any prettier woman besides her.". Ted now had a new passion - politics. At 35, Ngoy had already climbed out of poverty and into privilege once. I am the child of immigrants who came and moved here for the American dream. . Ngoy fled with his wife, three young children, two cousins and a nephew to the United States in 1975. With Chuong Pek Lee, Susan Lim, Ted Ngoy, Daewon Song. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. He ran to the shop across the street where he bought a donut. Once again Suganthini was the friendly face welcoming customers, and when she became a US citizen she took the name Christy as her own. He dissolved his party and accused the government of corruption. You just have to see the opportunity and go for it. Those are the wise words of Ted Ngoy. Ngoy bought stores in Fullerton, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills and Buena Park over the next year. "That's why I want to tell the world, 'Do not gamble.' "[9] In a mixed review, Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail said the film is "well worth watching" while saying there "are holes in this doughnut story. At the weekend the oldest children, Chet and Savy, then nine and eight, helped out by pouring coffee, packing doughnuts and folding boxes. The Ngoys went to Las Vegas for the first time in 1977. For weeks, they watched other families leave, until finally they, too, were sponsored by a pastor from a church in Tustin, Orange County, about 35 miles south of Los Angeles. Aside from what At each stop, they set up the business and trained the families who leased it. BC Donuts He hired his wife and nephew. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. One of Ngoy's first jobs in the US was as a service station attendant. His doughnut fortune was almost gone. Ngoy is Cambodian and he was in Phnom Penh when it fell. It was really wonderful. 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. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy) was born into a poor Cambodian family in 1942. 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? 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