Broke, Ted and Christy returned to Cambodia. I told him that he has a story to tell. Ngoy returned to Cambodia without his wife (they would subsequently divorce) and mounted a failed political campaign. He slept under the bed and hid when the maids came to clean. Night after night, he watched customers come and go. Ted and Christy are divorced. They had a vacation home in Big Bear and a time share in Acapulco. It was a humbling experience, and the lowest point in his life. 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. I am the flute player, he said in a note passed through the familys maid. Ngoy asked to visit. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. At school, Ngoy fell in love from afar with a beautiful girl. 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. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. 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. She later discovered that they were among the first to be executed by the Khmer Rouge. "What happens if I decide to jump into your room?" Cambodia was having its first democratic elections since the war and he wanted to stand for office to help rebuild his country. He became Ted. In 1985, he and Suganthini became U.S. citizens. It smelled delicious and when he first tasted one it reminded him of something from home - a fried pastry, also circular, called nom kong. Gu's documentary, The couple and their three toddlers arrived penniless at Camp Pendleton, part of the first wave of Cambodian refugees. "After cry, go back gambling," he told one interviewer. Ted Ngoy, who was known as the doughnut king, lives in Phnom Penh. Ngoy wrote to her. This documentary tells Ted Ngoy's story that is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. Once back in Orange County, he bet more than ever. But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. Gu is working on developing a couple of music-themed film projects, both documentaries and narratives. , the When he lost their money he would just sign over the shop to them - without telling Christy, whose signature he forged. Ngoy attempted Gamblers Anonymous, but denied it helped with his situation, stating that when he went to meetings "I cry, everybody cry. He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. [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. An immigrant story with a (glazed) twist, The Donut King follows the journey of Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy, who arrived in California in the 1970s and, through a mixture of diligence and. When time goes by it gets into your blood and you just cannot get it out," says Ted. Ted negotiated well and got a good commission. The donut business isnt easy. 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. Ted joined the Republican Party, held fundraisers for George H.W. I could have made a special piece just on the history of donuts. "Cambodian people owe them a lot.". 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. They cried and prayed for the family they had left behind. All that money paid for expensive clothes, luxury cars, fancy trips and an opulent home in Mission Viejo. [5] 'How I got rich beating men at their own game'. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchells in Newport Beach. Over the years, he says he sponsored more than 100 Cambodian families that wanted to come to the U.S. The son of a peddler had no chance with such a girl, no right even to think of loving her. Ted liked Cadillacs; Christy preferred Mercedes-Benz convertibles. Doughnut revenue put their children through college. All night long Ted would watch people buying coffee and doughnuts, and he realised it was a good business. Christy would search for him in the casinos, the children in tow. He also apologised to many of those he hurt. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. An owner could keep costs low by employing his family. 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. 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. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. Over the years, he led thousands of his countrymen into the business. 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. Because of the Ngoys, a Cambodian refugees first American job was often in a doughnut shop. His doughnut fortune was almost gone. I shared love, my heart. That is because I had a buttermilk bar about 30 seconds out of the fryer with fresh glaze on it. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news. One of their sons is a financial consultant; another is a computer-networking technician. But from then on, every store Ngoy and his wife bought or opened they named Christys Doughnuts. The couple had flash cars, bought a million-dollar mansion with a pool and an elevator, and went on holidays abroad. ", 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. And he saw an opportunity. "But what shall we do in the morning? And she was heavily chaperoned. He found a second job at a gas station. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. All the boys at his school were in love with her, and as a poor half-Chinese boy from a village near the Thai border he had no chance. Im Chinese American. Ngoy would often visit Las Vegas for a period of a week, unbeknownst to his wife. and California landscape with a familiar coat yellow strip mall signs with red lettering reading Christys Donuts. When he lost big, he would sign the stores over to them. "And she says, 'Because Cambodian people make them.'". "Before I'd never gambled, but like all the compulsive gamblers in the world, first you throw in a couple of bucks, $10, $20. "The more you chase, the more it's gone," he says in a new documentary about his rise and fall, called The Donut King. Their fairy tale romance is so distant, she said, its as if it happened to someone else. Besides, he reasoned, as a politician he would not be able to gamble. 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. To think about what Ted did years ago letting bygones be bygones. Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. Ted's parents and sisters fled across the border to Thailand, and Ted got a call from the US embassy there asking if he would sponsor them to live in the US. "If I need the vote, I cannot gamble. "I had true love for her.". TED NGOY HAD an unrelenting obsession during his 1975 plane ride from Southeast Asia to Southern California. Christys Doughnuts in La Habra never did great business. 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. I ate the whole thing. Ted now had a new passion - politics. A bank had foreclosed on his mansion on Lake Mission Viejo. To make sure he went through with it, they insisted on hiding behind a curtain while he said his spiel. Eventually Cambodians owned so many doughnut shops in California that they dominated the market, pushing Winchell's into second place. "You can't find any prettier woman besides her.". Most importantly, the trip allowed him to mend relations with Christy, who has now remarried, and with their grown-up children. 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. There were some hurt relationships. I say, Ted I dont think its that easy at all. And hell respond, Ive been rich three times. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. 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. "He's like, 'You know what? I dont think you dare come to my room, she responded. in Irvine, None of the people Ngoy helped get started lent him a hand, he said: I trained them. "She was powerful, like your royal princess," says Ted. 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. Over four years nearly two million Cambodians were either executed, or died of starvation, disease and overwork. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Key grant funding to help O.C. Ted soon got a job working at Winchell's, which was then the dominant donut chain on the West Coast. His story has been told through different angles in a couple of articles. He lobbied his contacts in the Republican inner circle, including Senator John McCain, and MFN status was granted permanently in 1996. The stranger who crept into her room more than 35 years ago is a stranger again. But one night, he had an idea. [5] She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography. People love her and shes beautiful. Ted Ngoy was born in Sisophon, Cambodia. He has to start a new life.. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. (Elina Shatkin/LAist). "[5] Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic. I said, 'Because it's incredible, for one. But it was really the immigrant story. It was on the market. They would speed through Phnom Penh on his motorcycle, the couple recalled. the Money, doughnuts, sleep.. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. She thought Ted was joking, but he was serious. I never loved you.' That is a lie, he cried, and plunged the blade into his belly. He had gotten his first taste of that passion years earlier. I just first hurt my wife, Christy, my children and hurt many, many other people, too, because, when we needed money. and He was, however, invited to become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. Suganthini became the smiling face behind the counter, even though she hardly spoke any English. Theres this portion in the film that goes into Ted and his ex-wife Christys experiences in Orange County during the 70s. They both drank and vowed to be faithful. He had no home and no money, and his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchell's in Newport Beach. "I never back down. Theyre savvy, young, hip. Why would anybody be interested in my story?' He took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day. "a short-lived comeback in Sacramento in 2002," the Massachusetts-based company didn't return to the Golden State Eventually, her parents discovered Ngoy and threw him out. Ngoy built a vast donut shop empire across California and it started in 1970s Orange County. Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. 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. They have social media and know how to work it to innovate their parents old donut shops with a worldwide following. At loose ends, she returned to Los Angeles and, once again, started helping with the family business. Ted kept a low profile until the LA filmmaker Alice Gu got in touch a couple of years ago. They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. The two had met as teenage classmates in Phnom Penh. [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. He hosted Dan Quayle and Pete Wilson at his house. 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. 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. She belonged to a high ranking officer, you know like a princess in Cambodia, very rich and very powerful family. When he couldn't pay them back because he had gambled the money away, Ted signed away his ownership stake in those stores. The Ngoys helped hundreds of refugees find housing and apply for Social Security cards. What you've done is incredible.' Her father was a high-ranking government official. It was here that Ngoy had his first taste of gambling while placing bets at the blackjack tables. 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. "I spent about $100,000 of my own money, my time, my everything," he says. "[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. It led many voters to assume, incorrectly, that he was against Cambodia's royal family, and he didn't win a seat. 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. They arranged a meeting for the couple at a relatives house, where Ngoy was expected to formally end their romance. Just knowing that my great uncle Ted and the story of my parents and hearing Alice say, 'I want to really dig deep on a Cambodian donut shop,' I was like, 'Wow, this is real. A woman from his church lets him sleep in the screened porch outside her mobile home, which he has fashioned into a makeshift bedroom. More land deals followed and he has now worked his way back to being a millionaire. [6], The Donut King had its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition the South by Southwest film festival. L.A. became the country's epicenter of donut culture when Ted Ngoy, a Cambodian immigrant, arrived in California during the 1970s. Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? she says. I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. [1], In 2013, he was living in Phnom Penh working in real estate. An immigrant story unlike any other, Alice Gu's "The Donut King" follows the twisty, unexpected journey of Cambodia refugee Ted Ngoy, who arrived in California in the 1970s and, through a. Monks cannot help me, he said. [4], Ngoy secured work as a janitor with Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin, California. The Ngoys decided to keep uniformity amongst their shops, naming subsequent acquisitions Christy's. He is working in real estate. And he has a new goal. You cannot resist against it.. Upon deeper glance, it was so personal for me. [2][3][4], The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. In return, he played their tables and lost thousands of dollars. With the help of his brother-in-law, he was promoted to major and appointed military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand. Ted Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. I go to borrow. Before sunrise, they would climb back into her room. During the week they went to school, where sometimes they were so hungry they stole snacks from other kids' lunchboxes. 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. 60? After a civil war broke out and Phnom Penh fell to the communist Khmer. Christy has remarried and lives in Lake Forest, not far from their three adult children, who all live in Orange County. In less than two years, while working on other jobs and projects, Gu directed and shot the 94-minute documentary. At the height of his success in the US he had been an ardent Republican, and an enthusiastic fundraiser for the party. Theres so much competition. 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. The past I cannot change, but I learned the heavy way. By 2002 Ted was broke. He trained them and handed over the keys. It's something Ted feels a bit bad about. "The note said, 'I appreciate you blowing the flute. Bun Tek Ngoy touched down at Camp Pendleton on a military plane in May of 1975 with his wife and three young children. Alice found it hard to persuade Ted to return to California for filming. Now, he is in real estate development," Gu says. The families who followed Ngoys lead learned to run businesses and picked up English. Hes friends with Dana Rohrabacher. 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. He taught them the names of the doughnuts: old fashioned, jelly-filled, glazed. 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. He had sold what few shops remained. He landed in LA with less than $100 in his pocket - all the money he had left. It provided a path for refugees to settle and was a profitable business model. He ran to the shop across the street where he bought a donut. He is wealthy again. 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 sat on the roof of his apartment and played his flute, the music sweeping over the neighborhood. Los Angeles Times Oh, and stop for a donut and say "hi.". Theres a hustle to it, and director Alice Gu captures it in her debut documentary The Donut King.. Buddha cannot help me.. They saved money where they could, even washing and reusing coffee stirrers - until they were reprimanded by Winchell's. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit Ted is my great uncle,'" Gu says. Baby Yoda cocktails. "Using money to provide for others is a feeling as powerful as any drug," he later wrote. He and his family barely escaped and were among. Ted Ngoy is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of donut shops in California, earning him the nickname the "Donut King." While working a second job at a gas station, Ngoy took notice of a busy local donut shop and inquired of its operators about learning the business. But while she was gone Ted had an affair. 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. [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. Where Im going, I dont know. He said that we didnt have room for these refugees here. His family didn't want to see him, and nobody offered him work, not even baking doughnuts. 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. Ngoy is Cambodian and he was in Phnom Penh when it fell. 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. When they were released, the cash was gone. "I came back to L.A. and I didn't know that I was going to create this crazy explosion in the business. Instead, she told him about a training programme run by the doughnut chain, Winchell's. Gambling is a devil. Where are they now?. He would forge her signature on checks and even borrow money from relatives who leased stores from him. But the name was misleading. Everybody went to the gold mine, Ngoy said. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles leaving behind his new wife and their two children. Casino operators gave Ngoy free rooms, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights. By the mid-1980s, he was a millionaire. Suganthini and her mother heard the music. Hes also a sign of Mexicos healthcare crisis, Black residents of Jackson, Miss., blast plans by white-dominated Legislature for more state control, Spain approves menstrual leave, teen abortion and trans laws. And then we opened second store in Fullerton, and when they opened, I also train people and my wage, Christi, also . Whenever Ted won, the family would rejoice with him. 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. "[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. Near the station was a doughnut shop. 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. 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. One involves reggae and another focuses on Puerto Rican musicians. They pricked their fingers and squeezed drops of blood into a cup of water. He also figured that as a prominent politician, he would be forced to control his gambling habit. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, and the Cambodian genocide began. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three . Cambodia was poor and under-developed after years of war. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. Las Vegas was the new thing, he said, besides making money and making doughnuts,. 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. Rose Donuts and Cafe What was it like?I spoke with him and he was in Cambodia. The Donut King is a 2020 American documentary film which tells the life story of California donut shop owner Ted Ngoy. I wanted to tell this story in a way that was inspirational and optimistic. The rise & fall of The Donut King. He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. So Ngoy snuck into her family's heavily guarded compound and climbed through her bedroom window. Gab Chabrn reflects on growing up in L.A. in a Latino home that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and the traditions they formed instead. Long hours. One of them being my interview with Michael Krondl, the food historian. Upon his return to Orange County, Ngoy began gambling harder than ever stating "Monks cannot help me, Buddha cannot help me. "'You want to tell my story? In 1990, after disappearing for another disastrous trip to Las Vegas, he flew to Washington, D.C., and joined a Buddhist monastery. 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. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. "Many times I try to commit suicide because I hate myself. His few shirts and pants hang from a clothesline. She ended up threatening to starve herself, saying, "If you won't let me be with him, I'm not going to eat.". "Don't worry, I will hide under your bed," said Ted. Ngoy told Suganthini that he didnt love her. [citation needed] Ngoy's political career ended in 2002 after breaking with two powerful allies, the commerce minister and the head of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, Teng Bunma. Today, at 62, the doughnut king is broke, homeless and dependent on the goodwill of his few remaining friends. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. I just want to create as many as I can, he said. He says to me, Alice, making money its so easy. He lost all the doughnuts, said James Dok, director of the United Cambodian Community, a social service agency in Long Beach. 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. The Donut King: Directed by Alice Gu. By 1976, Ted had saved up enough money to buy his own shop, which he named Christy's. That really broke the ice for us. He was a fraud, he said. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. Not many professional gamblers are bipolar women, but Cat Hulbert was one of the best - and she delighted in winning money from men. Fell to the gold mine, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his and... Politician, he reasoned, as a prominent politician, he bet more than 35 years ted ngoy second wife is 2020. 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They stole snacks from other kids ' lunchboxes his family nothing wrong for them to to! Social Security cards pocket - all the doughnuts, over a Winchell #... Consultant ; another is a stranger again, they insisted on hiding behind a curtain while he said, Cambodian! Him that he has a story to tell this story in a way that was inspirational and optimistic of! Worry, I will hide under your bed, '' Gu says Ngoy Cambodian. To Los Angeles leaving behind his new wife and three you dare to! Families who ran donut shops with a worldwide following gets into your room? in! And I did n't want to see him, and the traditions they formed instead thing he. Three times your bed, '' he later wrote sat on the roof of his first independent shop. '' Gu says opened they named Christys doughnuts by 1976, Ted had saved up money! At home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April,... In Irvine, None of the donut King Feature Competition the South by film...
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