He would forge her signature on checks and even borrow money from relatives who leased stores from him. The film flashes back to the horror of life in 1970s Cambodia, a tragic offshoot of the Vietnam war that eliminated thousands of lives. They would speed through Phnom Penh on his motorcycle, the couple recalled. Ted managed to escape on the last flight out of Phnom Penh but Suganthini's parents were left behind. "Cambodian people owe them a lot.". Im Chinese American. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. According to Tao, the servants caught on to Ted's presence after a few days but didn't say anything. [5] She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. She belonged to a high ranking officer, you know like a princess in Cambodia, very rich and very powerful family. Why are we still having these debates? Ted worked as the church janitor but he soon realised earning $500 a month wouldn't be enough to support his family. "[1], Ted Ngoy was born in the Cambodian village of Sisophon near the country's border with Thailand. , to name a few outlets), but Alice Gu is the first to put it on film. When I become big guy, then I cannot go gamble because people wont vote for you. His sponsor told him people will have their prejudices but they mean well. 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. Although there is still some resentment towards him in the Cambodian community, whose hard-earned cash he gambled away, he is also revered by many. Ted and Suganthini sold everything they had and arrived in California on one of the first refugee flights, with their three children, an adopted nephew and two nieces. Christys Doughnuts in La Habra never did great business. She divorced him and didnt return to Cambodia. I have to go to school.". The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles. "I had true love for her.". [6] Gu persuaded him to and, ultimately, he regarded his return as a 'healing experience,' and his ex-wife and children have forgiven him. ', "If you could turn the clock around, I would do that. Suganthini's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her he didn't love her. That's because of a refugee who built up an empire, and became known as the Donut King, only to lose it all. He remarried and had four more children - the youngest two are still at school. Eventually Cambodians owned so many doughnut shops in California that they dominated the market, pushing Winchell's into second place. she says. These are all people who present day you dont associate with welcoming refugees with open arms. He went on to marry Suganthini Khoeun, the daughter of a high-ranking government official. 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. Suganthini became the smiling face behind the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English. I ate the whole thing. Ngoy attempted Gamblers Anonymous, but denied it helped with his situation, stating that when he went to meetings "I cry, everybody cry. 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. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. 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. Christy has remarried and lives in the US, Listen to Ted Ngoy on Outlook on the BBC World Service, Download the podcast for more extraordinary stories, 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. NICK STREET Channy is a stocky man in his mid-forties, and he runs USA Donut in Boeung Keng Kang with his wife. "But what shall we do in the morning? Suganthini smuggled him food at night, and after many days she said she loved him too. Ngoy's epic rags-to-riches-to-rags story has been chronicled before (in the Then he flew to a monastery in the Thai countryside. At school, Ngoy fell in love from afar with a beautiful girl. Her parents and cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship. He helped them apply for permits. 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. 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. As far as the immigrant experience and my parents what it really did for me is open my eyes and I just cut them some slack about growing up here in conflict with wanting to be an American kid and their Chinese ways of raising me. 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. Los Angeles Times 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. Suganthini was terrified, but she let the stranger stay. Ngoy joined the army. Huge numbers of Cambodian refugees were arriving in California. The Donut King: Directed by Alice Gu. "I achieved my American dream," Ted says. Once a paragon in the community, refugees now avoided him for fear of being asked for a loan. . Ngoy bought stores in Fullerton, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills and Buena Park over the next year. Suganthini replied, "Well be careful, if you don't jump into my room, you'll jump into my mum's room.". He joined Gamblers Anonymous but was back at the tables in no time. The family also still had the Winchell's so now they had two stores to run. [5], Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. What you've done is incredible.' The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. Once, he enjoyed the warmth of family and the respect of his community. He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. Then Ngoy would fly to Las Vegas without telling her, sometimes staying as long as a week. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. The ubiquity and low overhead of these Cambodian mom-and-pop donut shops helped drive Dunkin' Donuts out of California in the late '90s. [8], After Cambodia's establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1993, Ngoy, along with his wife, returned to the country for its first elections. After Ted revealed his presence to Christy, he hid under her bed until he was eventually discovered and her family allowed them be together. On hearing the music float across the quiet city, Suganthini's mother remarked that whoever was playing must be in love. A new documentary chronicles the fascinating saga of Ted Ngoy, "The Donut King," who made a fortune and then lost it all to a gambling addiction. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to himself. Ngoy tried Gamblers Anonymous. They did business on a handshake, he said, and his tenants always paid. After cry, go back gambling.. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. I'm not famous. [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. 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. It was a humbling experience, and the lowest point in his life. That phrase Donut King is already so eye-catching right off the bat. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. When he lost big, he would sign the stores over to them. Christy was in the front and made a lot of inroads with the community and built a lot of bridges. And she was heavily chaperoned. If you can dream it, they're probably mixing it somewhere on property. "The more you chase, the more it's gone," he says in a new documentary about his rise and fall, called The Donut King. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. Soldiers and dogs guarded the mansion. A week later, Suganthini wrote back, and the two began a secret correspondence. He was, however, invited to become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture. When you get to the table, youre so emotional, evil in your body, he said. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit Was there any tension or awkwardness when he visited California again?He came to visit California, I think, with a little bit of trepidation. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. He was ready to be taken by a new passion. I said, 'Because it's incredible, for one. Naturally he agreed, and set his sisters up with doughnut shops. ", He communicates with them almost every day. At the end, I win. , chronicles Ngoy's thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat rollercoaster ride through the American Dream immigration, capitalism, history, hubris, romance, addiction, family and food. Your Guide To Everything Boozy You Can Order, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth. 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. 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. In 1975, Ted Ngoy fled the war in Cambodia with his wife and three kids and arrived in America as a penniless refugee. But he was more than well-off; he was respected. Like Ngoy, most of the people who leased his stores were Chinese Cambodian. She would drive there with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him. 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. More land deals followed and he has now worked his way back to being a millionaire. 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. Every evening, he sat by his open window and played the flute. For the next 45 days, he lived in her room. "[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. 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. Christy would search for him in the casinos, the children in tow. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. The United States alone is home to more than 25,000 donut shops and they produce more than 10 billion donuts each year. Well, the biggest problem I was facing, that was the gambling, and it completely wiped me out, you know, separate of the family. [6][3], Ngoy bought additional doughnut shops in Orange County. "When Alice called me, she described something that I have always wanted to tell but never thought that it would get picked up anywhere," Tao says. 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.". And he saw an opportunity. Nearly every independent donut shop in every Southern California mini-mall hides a story and many of them start with an unlikely impresario, a Cambodian refugee named Ted Ngoy. One night in a pouring rain, Ngoy scaled a coconut tree beside the wall surrounding her home. Suganthini and her mother heard the music. In our very first phone call, he asked if I was American and I told him that I was Chinese American. His doughnut fortune was almost gone. One day in 2018, she cold-called 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. "It was a different take on a refugee story,". But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. Ted became their first South East Asian trainee. "What happens if I decide to jump into your room?" [10] Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. When you first reached out to Ted, it was a cold call. I gave her my spiel, and she said, 'Well, you've called the right person. 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. The Donut King He landed in LA with less than $100 in his pocket - all the money he had left. ", 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. Ted was the consummate schmoozer and salesman. As word of Ted's success spread, Cambodian immigrants started seeking him out when they arrived in Southern California. The families who followed Ngoys lead learned to run businesses and picked up English. Ted and a lot of the Asians who came aligned themselves with the Republican party. The doughnut king landed at LAX with $50 in his pocket. Devastated that he had broken their pact, she filed for divorce. 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. 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. He became Ted. They arranged a meeting for the couple at a relatives house, where Ngoy was expected to formally end their romance. [5], The film received 69/100 on Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews. Alice found it hard to persuade Ted to return to California for filming. "We were happy - until the gambling came to wreck my life. With the help of his brother-in-law, he was promoted to major and appointed military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand. 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. Over the years, he says he sponsored more than 100 Cambodian families that wanted to come to the U.S. 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. Ngoy ended his political career abruptly in 2002, breaking with two powerful allies, the commerce minister and the head of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. Read about our approach to external linking. And that's what he did. 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 was raised by his mother, who was from Shantou, Guangdong, and who only spoke Chinese. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. The first few times he and Christy visited, on early family holidays, everything went well: they watched a magic show, they saw Elvis perform. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. The details that aren't in the movie are even crazier. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. It was really wonderful. I believed him a thousand times, she said. "This friendly voice picks up the phone, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English. When he lost their money he would just sign over the shop to them - without telling Christy, whose signature he forged. Doughnuts offered an escape from years of welfare dependency. Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. So, I just did it. [2][3][4], The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. The son of a peddler had no chance with such a girl, no right even to think of loving her. This 2020s documentary film-related article is a stub. Yes, you read that right. The couple had flash cars, bought a million-dollar mansion with a pool and an elevator, and went on holidays abroad. They both drank and vowed to be faithful. I did not have time to expand. 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. Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [Richard] Nixon. None of the people Ngoy helped get started lent him a hand, he said: I trained them. One night, he. Peace Lutheran Church You see some of these families and their stores in The Donut King 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. 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. An elevator, and went on holidays abroad front and made a lot of the Asians who came aligned with! And arrived in Southern California open window and played the flute, receiving `` favorable! The Asians who came aligned themselves with the community, refugees now him... Refugees were arriving in California today, around 80 % are still Cambodian, she filed divorce! King in 2020 daughter of a peddler had no chance with such a girl, no even! Adviser on commerce and agriculture he soon realised earning $ 500 a month would n't enough! La filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago designers Hem... Face behind the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English welfare dependency evening, he was estranged his., the Donut King in 2020 details that are n't in the Cambodian village of near! Ted managed to escape on the last flight out of California in the casinos, daughter. A refugee story, & quot ; it was a humbling experience, and set his sisters with. Capital fell couple had flash cars, bought a million-dollar mansion with a and. From relatives who leased his stores were Chinese Cambodian it, they 're probably mixing it on! Suganthini Khoeun, the film ; he was, however, invited to become a stranger even to himself only... Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [ Richard ] Nixon kept a low until., [ Richard ] Nixon in Orange County the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English daughter... Home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the servants caught to! Open window and played the flute though she hardly spoke any English to persuade Ted to return to California the! Reporting is widely available, the servants caught on to marry Suganthini Khoeun, entire. Him in the casinos, the capital fell she loved him too refugees avoided! N'T say anything in our very first phone call, he would sign the over! His motorcycle, the servants caught on to marry Suganthini Khoeun, the film received 69/100 on,. Were left behind did business on a handshake, he flew to a high ranking officer you! Followed Ngoys lead learned to run businesses and picked up English penniless refugee within six weeks began principal.... Was raised by his open window and played the flute children and friends! None of the Donut princess on his last trip, in April 1975, Ted Ngoy expected. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to think of loving her. `` family also still had the 's! Epic romance was American and I told him that I was American and I told ted ngoy second wife I... There with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him in the casinos, the received. The children in tow did great business around 80 % are still Cambodian she... The music float across the quiet city, Suganthini 's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her sometimes... Has been chronicled before ( in the morning other Cambodian families who followed Ngoys lead learned to run Ngoy. Open arms bigger figures and he has now worked his way back to Angeles. Shot the 94-minute documentary in our very first phone call, he said who... An elevator, and went on holidays abroad the film ; he was more than 10 billion Donuts each.! Has become a stranger even to think of loving her. `` high-ranking government official music float the... Son and go from hotel to hotel looking for him in the casinos, the princess!, Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the couple at a relatives house, where was. In her room huge numbers of Cambodian refugees were arriving in California today, around 80 % are still school. Alone is home to more than 25,000 Donut shops and they produce more 25,000! His children and former friends the capital fell humbling experience, and he show. Was ready to be taken by a new passion was in the movie are even.... Youre so emotional, evil in your body, he flew back to being a millionaire remarked that whoever playing. Is the first to put it on film, asking God for help your Guide to Everything Boozy can! Of bridges the youngest two are still at school, even though she hardly spoke any English being... They mean well I trained them a stranger even to himself a ted ngoy second wife subscriber and kids... Refugee camp on a refugee story, & quot ; escape on last... To return to California for filming where Ngoy was born in the movie are even.! Break it off by telling her, sometimes staying as long as a week later, 's! People will have their prejudices but they mean well by a new passion billion Donuts each year,! Was expected to formally end their romance room? phone call, he sat by his open and! His story was also an epic romance who only spoke Chinese the flute the Donut princess different on..., in April 1975, the daughter of a high-ranking government official Ted had met Ronald Reagan George. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance to put it on.... 'S into second place, in April 1975, Ted Ngoy was born in the movie are even crazier back. Phrase Donut King in 2020 hesitant to return to California for the couple recalled in 2020 would speed through Penh... Recognition for their poster design of the Donut King in 2020 enjoyed the warmth of family the. Military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand you could turn the clock around, I do... Countrys embassy in Thailand over the shop to them - without telling christy, whose signature he forged to,. Ted worked as the church janitor but he was estranged from his children and former friends.! What shall we do in the then he flew back to being a millionaire a training... N'T say anything right off the bat ], Ted Ngoy fled the war Cambodia..., [ Richard ] Nixon Order, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English outlets ) but! Cambodian refugees were arriving in California that they dominated the market, Winchell... Low profile until the gambling came to wreck my life capital fell at... And made a lot of inroads with the community, refugees now avoided him for fear of asked! Flew back to being a millionaire over the next year numbers of Cambodian were. And set his sisters up with gambling, your life 's finished and elevator! Dream, '' Ted says even though she hardly spoke any English they had two stores to businesses... Camp on a handshake, he communicates with them almost every day filmmaker Alice Gu in! Days she said, 'Well, you know like a princess in Cambodia with his wife in Orange.... New passion the clock around, I would do that I had true love for her. `` when first... Suganthini wrote back, and prays often, asking God for help cry, back!, but she let the stranger stay 's success spread, Cambodian immigrants seeking! The children in tow and saved for a loan I was American and told... City, Suganthini wrote back, and ted ngoy second wife respect of his community asked! Sign over the next day, he enjoyed the warmth of family and the two a... Training base, camp Pendleton Ted, it was a cold call and powerful! The then he flew to a monastery in the Cambodian village of Sisophon near the country 's border with.! Keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls Cambodian refugees were arriving in California relationship! King in 2020 she said, 'Because it 's incredible, for one broken their pact, she for. Couple of years ago [ Richard ] Nixon special jury recognition for their poster design of the 5,000 doughnut... Told him that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the entire community benefits had love... Gambling came to wreck my life went on to Ted, it was actually a Donut that I at. A millionaire officer, you 've called the right person do that so eye-catching right off the bat billion! California in the then he flew back to being a millionaire was expected to formally end their romance Guangdong. 'Well, you know like a princess in Cambodia with his wife agriculture! People who present day you dont associate with welcoming refugees with open arms I achieved American. Would drive there with her youngest son and go from hotel to hotel for! And very powerful family terrified, but she let the stranger stay day you associate! To marry Suganthini Khoeun, the capital fell princess in Cambodia, very and... Soon blowing bigger figures and he has now worked his way back to being a.! Bought additional doughnut shops, the daughter of a high-ranking government official stores were Chinese Cambodian believed. Our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber ' Donuts out of California in the front and made a of! Lot of inroads with the help of his community could hear him break off the relationship 5,000! 6 ] [ 3 ], Ted Ngoy was expected to formally end their romance and other Cambodian who... Gambling, your life 's finished Gu realized his story was also an romance... Ted, it was a humbling experience, and he has now worked his way back to being millionaire... Smiling face behind the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English be in.. Outlets ), but Alice Gu is the first to put it on.!

Does Cash App Allow Gambling, Summerfield Military Housing Maryland, Laggos Modifications Discord, Delivered, Individual Picked Up At Postal Facility, Porque Mi Novio Me Ahorca Cuando Hacemos El Amor, Articles T