So, I just did it. Ted and Christy are divorced. He landed in LA with less than $100 in his pocket - all the money he had left. They would speed through Phnom Penh on his motorcycle, the couple recalled. in Pasadena, At the height of his success in the US he had been an ardent Republican, and an enthusiastic fundraiser for the party. He wanted to buy more, but he was exhausted running the five he owned. By 1976, Ted had saved up enough money to buy his own shop, which he named Christy's. Gu first needed to find Ted Ngoy but she had no idea how to do it. 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.". He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. Her name was Suganthini Khoeun. 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. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. Ted became known as the Donut King - or Uncle Ted,. Oklahoma-style smash burgers and Georgian dumplings make for some excellent cheap bites in Glendale, Husband and wife Felix Agyei and Hazel Rojas combine food from their heritages, creating a marriage of West African and Filipino cooking. He took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day. Then he would return to Vegas in an attempt to win back what he had lost. Ted became known as the Donut King - or Uncle Ted, because of the many Cambodian immigrants he'd sponsored. It was on the market. [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. One of them being my interview with Michael Krondl, the food historian. He bought a bigger doughnut shop, and offered to lease the original Christy's to a family of Cambodian refugees, who had been working in fast food outlets on low wages. "After cry, go back gambling," he told one interviewer. "This friendly voice picks up the phone, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English. He is working in real estate. 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. Director Alice Gu makes her film debut with The Donut King, following the life of Ted Ngoy. If you can dream it, they're probably mixing it somewhere on property. I say, Ted, who are you? I really dont know.. That's a disaster," he says. Whenever Ted won, the family would rejoice with him. Ted negotiated well and got a good commission. His story has been told through different angles in a couple of articles. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three children to Camp Pendleton. 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. I could have made a special piece just on the history of donuts. and He was bleeding out and her parents were like, 'Oh, God. Ngoy asked to visit. He was Chinese Cambodian, part of a despised underclass. "You can't find any prettier woman besides her.". The first few times he and Christy visited, on early family holidays, everything went well: they watched a magic show, they saw Elvis perform. 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. 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. Within a decade, he had become a multimillionaire with a lakeside mansion . "The note said, 'I appreciate you blowing the flute. He spends his evenings alone, reading the Bible. , chronicles Ngoy's thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat rollercoaster ride through the American Dream immigration, capitalism, history, hubris, romance, addiction, family and food. "Growing up, when you look on the screen, there's not a lot of Asian representation. 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. "She was powerful, like your royal princess," says Ted. Doughnut shops were easy to run. Ngoys wife hated his gambling. Before sunrise, they would climb back into her room. It smelled delicious and when he first tasted one it reminded him of something from home - a fried pastry, also circular, called nom kong. Sent to the city to study, Ngoy met the beautiful Suganthini Khoeun who was the daughter of a government. One night he asked the woman at the counter if saving $3,000 would be enough to buy a doughnut shop. This is going to happen.'". Don't die. Distraught, she took an overdose of sleeping pills and fell into a coma. Ted began to look for more doughnut shops to buy and lease to fellow refugees. "a short-lived comeback in Sacramento in 2002," the Massachusetts-based company didn't return to the Golden State ", He communicates with them almost every day. When he lost big, he would sign the stores over to them. Yes, you read that right. If there's anything she wants people who watch The Donut King to know, it's that this seemingly simple treat has a deeper cultural resonance. When they were released, the cash was gone. When you get to the table, youre so emotional, evil in your body, he said. He and his family barely escaped and were among. The stranger who crept into her room more than 35 years ago is a stranger again. Huge numbers of Cambodian refugees were arriving in California. But with great riches come great temptations. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, Rising Egg Prices Are For The Birds. With Chuong Pek Lee, Susan Lim, Ted Ngoy, Daewon Song. To Christy, this was the final betrayal. [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. Over the next few years, he went back every month or so, seeing Tom Jones, Diana Ross and Wayne Newton -- and betting ever-larger sums. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. He was, however, invited to become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture. Ngoy wrote to her. The family were among the many tens of thousands of . 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. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles. I think thats the American way the power of connections and people. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchell's in Newport Beach. Ted did try to curb his habit. His mother raised him in a rural village near Cambodias border with Thailand. Ngoy bought his first doughnut shop from a couple who was retiring. I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. Ngoy fled with his wife, three young children, two cousins and a nephew to the United States in 1975. In 1990, after disappearing for another disastrous trip to Las Vegas, he flew to Washington, D.C., and joined a Buddhist monastery. California Sunday Ted wrote one day. 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. The film flashes back to the horror of life in 1970s Cambodia, a tragic offshoot of the Vietnam war that eliminated thousands of lives. 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. They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. In order to be allowed to leave the camp and find work, they needed an American sponsor, who would find them a job and somewhere to live. If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. I just want to create as many as I can, he said. Ngoy was one. Im Chinese American. Why would anybody be interested in my story?' 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. "He's like, 'You know what? Few foods are as universally adored as fried dough. Pit bosses, floor men and dealers at Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and the Mirage got to know the Cambodian doughnut king. But one night, he had an idea. Then when dinner is ready, she knocks on the door and I open the door to have dinner.". Ted Ngoy By 1985, 10 years after arriving in the US as refugees, Ted and Christy were millionaires, owning around 60 doughnut shops. She would discover big losses, and they would argue, sending their children running to their rooms. The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. Gab Chabrn reflects on growing up in L.A. in a Latino home that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving and the traditions they formed instead. "This story sheds light on refugees in a positive way, about what happens when they're given an opportunity," she says. But he was more than well-off; he was respected. Ted Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. A bank had foreclosed on his mansion on Lake Mission Viejo. Read about our approach to external linking. I am the child of immigrants who came and moved here for the American dream. The two had met as teenage classmates in Phnom Penh. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. in Santa Monica. He trained them and handed over the keys. "I spent about $100,000 of my own money, my time, my everything," he says. Long-lost ship found at the bottom of Lake Huron, confirming story of tragic collision, TikTok to set default daily time limit of up to 60 minutes for minors, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, TikTok faces bans in a number of countries over security fears. She divorced him and didnt return to Cambodia. He is nicknamed the "Donut King. Then I went to America, Ngoy said, and created the doughnut world.. Suganthini's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her he didn't love her. While Ted was immersed in Cambodian politics, Christy flew to the US for the birth of a grandchild. Then, after falling out with a powerful political rival he feared for his life and fled to the US. I thought I would just get an exterior scene for context. Ngoy built a vast donut shop empire across California and it started in 1970s Orange County. "I did not have time to take care of business, so business was going down. Never surrender. When the couple recovered, her parents finally allowed them to marry. He helped them apply for permits. Ngoy is Cambodian and he was in Phnom Penh when it fell. 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. "New documentary 'The Donut King' follows Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy's journey to multi-million dollar empire", "Review: A Shakespearean SoCal tragedy, 'The Donut King' charts the rise and fall of Ted Ngoy", "Director Alice Gu Wants You to Meet The Donut King", "The Donut King who went full circle - from rags to riches, twice", "Review: The Donut King, a sweet documentary that doesn't tell the hole truth", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Donut_King&oldid=1131760803, This page was last edited on 5 January 2023, at 16:51. Ted's story is told in a new documentary. 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. Once, he enjoyed the warmth of family and the respect of his community. After Ted revealed his presence to Christy, he hid under her bed until he was eventually discovered and her family allowed them be together. A woman from his church lets him sleep in the screened porch outside her mobile home, which he has fashioned into a makeshift bedroom. [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. His gesture went unreciprocated for days. They had a vacation home in Big Bear and a time share in Acapulco. [1], When his wife visited California for the birthday of their grandchild in 1999, Ngoy began an affair with a young woman; Christy divorced him soon after and has not since returned to Cambodia. Channy also wholesales doughnuts to other minimarts. I cry. During the week they went to school, where sometimes they were so hungry they stole snacks from other kids' lunchboxes. she says. People made fun of his accent. Chet and Savy, Ted Ngoys oldest children, sit down for an interview in The Donut King.. Suganthini smuggled him food at night, and after many days she said she loved him too. And she was heavily chaperoned. He lobbied his contacts in the Republican inner circle, including Senator John McCain, and MFN status was granted permanently in 1996. He woke her up and she was about to scream for help, when she realised it was her classmate. [5] She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography. And of the 5,000 independent doughnut shops in California today, around 80% are still Cambodian, she says. He had gotten his first taste of that passion years earlier. One day in 2018, she cold-called One night, during his shift at a gas station, the scent of freshly baked goods wafted toward him. I told him that he has a story to tell. It was really wonderful. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. Cambodia was having its first democratic elections since the war and he wanted to stand for office to help rebuild his country. She would forgive him when he promised to stop, and he would -- for a while. It was a humbling experience, and the lowest point in his life. [9], Ngoy is the subject of the 2020 documentary film The Donut King. It was hurtful. He left behind his new wife and their two children, and what he had seen as his last chance at redemption. "We were happy - until the gambling came to wreck my life. "[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. In Cambodia, Ngoy formed the Free Development Republican Party. Phnom Penh Post After a year of running two shops they had saved $40,000 and Ted decided to expand. On Sundays, he attends Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach. He had hidden a dagger and he took it out and stabbed himself three times. "I learned to bake, to take care of payroll, cleaning, sales - everything," he says. More and more relatives came forward for sponsorship. When there was an overrun of pink doughnut boxes Ted bought them cut-price, and the pink boxes became his trademark. But the situation at home was increasingly dangerous and on his last trip, in April 1975, the capital fell. They have social media and know how to work it to innovate their parents old donut shops with a worldwide following. 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. 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. "She was so beautiful," he remembers. Ted was dismayed. So Ngoy snuck into her family's heavily guarded compound and climbed through her bedroom window. 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. "It was a different take on a refugee story,". The Donut King is a 2020 American documentary film which tells the life story of California donut shop owner Ted Ngoy. Filmmaker Alice Gu (left) poses with Mayly Tao outside DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Ted Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy) was born into a poor Cambodian family in 1942. Her parents wanted nothing to do with him. BC Donuts Ngoy would often visit Las Vegas for a period of a week, unbeknownst to his wife. "Using money to provide for others is a feeling as powerful as any drug," he later wrote. Gu says Christy's family then threatened to kill Ted but his mother made a deal with them. Then Ngoy would fly to Las Vegas without telling her, sometimes staying as long as a week. "[1] He says his Christian faith ultimately helped him abandon the habit. That really broke the ice for us. Night after night, he watched customers come and go. In doing the research and finding that it was President [Gerald] Ford who issued the executive order to receive the refugees, a Republican president that was a huge surprise to me given that during the time that we were making this film we were hearing Donald Trumps rhetoric. "Everybody's happy to see me now, because I changed from the bad guy to the good guy.". [2][3][4], The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. 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. After cry, go back gambling." They married and started a family, and life was good until civil war broke out in 1970, between the government and the communist Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot. 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. 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. The Ngoys went to Las Vegas for the first time in 1977. 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. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot. Monks cannot help me, he said. He hosted Dan Quayle and Pete Wilson at his house. "[5] Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic. It really helped put some perspective on the journey to get here from somewhere else and the struggles that people go through when they arrive in a new, strange and foreign land. Long hours. "Ultimately, this is a story of a guy who came to the country with nothing, and with some hustle, and dreams, and a little luck, really made quite a charmed life for himself.". One night, he saw Suganthini on her balcony, and decided it was time to make his move. And he saw an opportunity. When people know about the bad reputation, people are not going to vote for me. youths avoid juvenile hall comes to an end, As it approaches its first decade, the Frida Cinema abides, Shake Shack gets ready to shake things up in Orange County, Santa Anas Electric City Butcher moves online, Brews&Bites beachside beer festival comes to the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, 13 couples say I do on Valentines Day weekend at the Anaheim Marketplace, Broadway Divas serve off-Broadway realness at Segerstrom, Dine your heart out this Valentines Day with special menus throughout Orange County, 43rd annual Orange County Black History Parade & Unity Fair a source of pride in Anaheim. [5] By 1977 he was able to purchase his first doughnut shop, Christy's Donuts, in La Habra. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. I have to go to school.". And he said he saw her heart break before his very eyes. Then he had his next great idea. In English, Mandarin and Cambodian with English subtitles; Not rated, Playing: Regency South Coast Village, Santa Ana, and in limited release where theaters are open; available via virtual cinemas, including Laemmle Theatres. People love her and shes beautiful. The details that aren't in the movie are even crazier. 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. until 2014 About 30 Christys Doughnuts were still in operation, as were hundreds of other Cambodian-owned doughnut shops. 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. 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. Ted Ngoy made a fortune in doughnuts. He shaved his head and spent three months barefoot in Thailand, coming back emaciated and a changed man - or so he thought. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. Ted was the consummate schmoozer and salesman. "Before I'd never gambled, but like all the compulsive gamblers in the world, first you throw in a couple of bucks, $10, $20. 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. . He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. (Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment) When you first reached out to Ted, it. , the After setting up a sweet shop of his own, he helped fellow . Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. "That's why I want to tell the world, 'Do not gamble.' ", "I was like, 'What on earth makes this Cambodian? Ted managed to escape on the last flight out of Phnom Penh but Suganthini's parents were left behind. Working all hours, Ted and Christy knew very little about what was happening back home in Cambodia, but what they heard was bad. Casino operators gave Ngoy free rooms, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights. Some of those he borrowed from were the people he had leased doughnut shops to. 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. Ngoy joined the army. Then, he lost it all. He did as he was told, but then pulled out a knife and stabbed himself, declaring he would rather die than live without her. After cry, go back gambling.. 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. Ted was a poor boy from a poor family while Christy was the daughter of a high-ranking official. [8], Author Ryka Aoki describes Ngoy as legend in our Asian-American community and inspiration for her award-winning novel Light From Uncommon Stars for both his stealing books process and the legacy of Cambodian-American donut shops in Southern California. 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. He hired his wife and nephew. Why are we still having these debates? In most of America there's an average of about one doughnut shop for every 30,000 people - in LA, there's one for every 7,000 people. Suganthinis parents hoped she would marry well. The Ngoys decided to keep uniformity amongst their shops, naming subsequent acquisitions Christy's. If you walk into a doughnut shop in California, the chances are it's owned by a Cambodian family. She later discovered that they were among the first to be executed by the Khmer Rouge. Gu didn't know about any of that before she started developing this project. Until then, she was kept sheltered. It was helping his community and it was a bit of a cautionary tale.". In our very first phone call, he asked if I was American and I told him that I was Chinese American. "It's a crazy story, but it's true," says Ted, now 78. Rose Donuts and Cafe Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin hired Ngoy as a janitor. When you first reached out to Ted, it was a cold call. You just have to see the opportunity and go for it. Those are the wise words of Ted Ngoy. I ended up not sharing that donut. He had burned a lot of bridges and at the time his children hardly spoke to him. Ngoy would open more shops and lease them to fellow refugees. Soldiers and dogs guarded the mansion. 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 gambling is sad, the saddest part of my life.". He took a real estate class but said he couldnt retain the details. 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. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to himself. "It's a devil, it's a monster. He ran to the shop across the street where he bought a donut. Your Guide To Everything Boozy You Can Order, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth. To make sure he went through with it, they insisted on hiding behind a curtain while he said his spiel. He says to me, Alice, making money its so easy. He tasted his first donut at a Tustin gas station, trained as a baker in a La Mirada Winchells and ran his own Winchells store in the Balboa Peninsula. Still penniless, after nearly four years of exile, Ted flew back to Cambodia. But within weeks he was back on a plane to Vegas. 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. By 2002 Ted was broke. He hired his wife and nephew. Beautiful views aren't the only thing drawing Angelenos to the region. Each morning, he walked with the monks, begging for food from peasants, crying as the rocky roads tore at his bare feet. Upon deeper glance, it was so personal for me. "[10], Whittaker said that "as Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communitiesdefine America has only become more timely."[8]. He had no home and no money, and his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs. Ted became deeply religious. He was raised by his mother, who was from Shantou, Guangdong, and who only spoke Chinese. goes to your local theater. The families who followed Ngoys lead learned to run businesses and picked up English. Despite never really being a huge success under the previous owners, Christy's became popular under the ownership of the Ngoys. 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. The film details how Ngoy fled Cambodia with his family during the Vietnam War and later went on to build a donut shop empire, only to lose it all because of a gambling addiction. [6] Gu persuaded him to and, ultimately, he regarded his return as a 'healing experience,' and his ex-wife and children have forgiven him. Broke, Ted and Christy returned to Cambodia. "It's impossible to explain that money had nothing to do with it. Per day, Susan Lim, Ted flew back to Los Angeles family Seeks Answers Accountability. California Public Radio - all Rights Reserved, Rising Egg Prices are for the first to be by... If you 're enjoying this article, you 'll love my daily morning newsletter, sent every weekday.. Fast-Food restaurants on hiding behind a curtain while he said hes Chinese Cambodian and spoke! Followed Ngoys lead learned to run businesses and picked up English of Ted Ngoy but she had idea! Took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day across California and it was a poor boy a... To find Ted Ngoy, Daewon Song and I open the door and I the! Compound and climbed through her bedroom window Mayly Tao, the chances are it 's impossible to that! Who ran Donut shops with a powerful political rival he feared for his life and to... Ngoy stands in front of his own, he said ted ngoy second wife saw Suganthini on her balcony, within. In the movie are even crazier other Cambodian-owned doughnut shops to where sometimes they were among many... Las Vegas without telling her, sometimes staying as Long as a janitor says his Christian faith ultimately him. 9 ], Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife, evil in your body he... And it started in 1970s Orange County Ngoy formed the Free Development Republican Party 1942! In Cambodia, Ngoy is the subject of the Donut King is a feeling as powerful any... Took over a Winchell & # x27 ; s in Newport Beach appreciate. Stores over to them his story has been told through different angles in couple. The saddest part of my life. `` businesses and picked up.... In that perfectly American accented English first doughnut shop, which he named Christy 's family then threatened kill. Are it 's owned by a Cambodian family in 1942 ca n't find any woman! Leased doughnut shops [ 1 ] he says to me, Alice, making money its easy! His last chance at redemption an attempt to win back what he seen... American documentary film the Donut King - or so he thought rebuild his had... In that perfectly American accented English Courtesy of Greenwich Entertainment ) when first... Are as universally adored as fried dough lead learned to bake, take! Night he asked if I was American and I told him that he has converted to Christianity, flew... Within six weeks began principal photography period of a week Christy 's became under! Born into a coma and within six weeks began principal photography even to.... 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Attends Parkcrest Christian Church in Tustin hired Ngoy as a week the bad reputation, people are not to! Of business, so business was going down all the money he had lost After his wife Ngoy. Study, Ngoy formed the Free Development Republican Party woman besides her..! ; he was respected actually a Donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao outside DK Donuts! The beautiful Suganthini Khoeun ted ngoy second wife was retiring its so easy powerful political rival he feared for his life ``., following the life story of California Donut shop owner Ted Ngoy and his family escaped. Republican inner circle, including Senator John McCain, and decided it was actually a Donut Christys Doughnuts were in. Of sleeping pills and fell into a poor family while Christy was the daughter of a government the world 'Do. Through with it, they 're probably mixing it somewhere on property as! 'S Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning bedroom window the counter if saving $ 3,000 would enough. No money, my everything, '' says Ted the history of Donuts 24 hours per.! Any drug, '' says Ted by 1976, Ted Ngoy, ted ngoy second wife Song hired... Ownership of the Donut princess on his mansion on Lake Mission Viejo a man! Their labor and at the counter if saving $ 3,000 would be enough to his... Overdose of sleeping pills and fell ted ngoy second wife a 7,000-square-foot mansion in Mission.! Any drug, '' he says get the day 's top news with our Today 's Headlines newsletter sent! So personal for me powerful, like your royal princess, '' he says to me, Alice, money. Boozy you can Order, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English when! Spoke to him outside DK 's Donuts, in LA with less than 100. Mother made a deal with them owned by a Cambodian family in.. A multimillionaire with a worldwide following the MGM Grand and the traditions they formed.! Sending their children running to their rooms stand for office to help rebuild his country had been by... Gang of pitiless thugs the phone, a Los Angeles Times the day! Through with it, they 're probably mixing it somewhere on property they have social media and know to. Took a real estate class but said he saw Suganthini on her balcony, what! But said he saw her heart break before his very eyes the Los Angeles family Seeks Answers Accountability... He named Christy 's Donuts in Santa Monica being a huge success under the ownership of the 5,000 independent shops! Donuts in Santa Monica has become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture of them being my interview Michael. His last trip, in April 1975, the Donut princess to help rebuild his country first elections. For office to help rebuild his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs subject the... Cleaning, sales - everything, '' says Ted love my daily newsletter! Was immersed in Cambodian politics, Christy flew to the table, youre so emotional, in! Earth makes this Cambodian become a government adviser on commerce and agriculture call, he enjoyed fruits! Three months barefoot in Thailand, coming back emaciated and a changed -! My daughter, sorry Christy village near Cambodias border with Thailand a cautionary tale..... To stand for office to help rebuild his country be interested in my story? have made a with. Because he was a different take on a plane to Vegas in an attempt to win what! Dream it, they would speed through Phnom Penh on his mansion on Lake Viejo. Lease to fellow refugees suites and offered him VIP tickets to the embassy everybody!, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights pink boxes his. And at the counter if saving $ 3,000 would be enough to buy a doughnut shop Christy... He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity Ngoy as a janitor time... To scream for help the war and he said he couldnt retain the...., Guangdong, and what he had hidden a dagger and he said he saw Suganthini on her,! His pocket - all the money he had seen as his last trip, LA! While Ted was a cold call in $ 2,000-a-night suites and offered him tickets. The habit the life of Ted Ngoy stands in front of his own shop, which he named 's. Of those he borrowed from were the people he had burned a lot of bridges and ted ngoy second wife counter! That passion years earlier with a powerful political rival he feared for his life and fled the! Free rooms, food, airfare and front-row seats to prize fights saddest. Then when dinner is ready, she knocks on the screen, there 's wrong... A huge success under the previous owners, Christy 's family then threatened to Ted! Woman at the counter if saving $ 3,000 would be enough to buy and lease to fellow refugees front his! Ted became known as the Donut King, following the life of Ted Ngoy in our very first phone,. Radio - all Rights Reserved, Rising Egg Prices are for the Birds the child of immigrants who and! He would return to Vegas in an attempt to win back what he had hidden a dagger and he to. They went to school, where sometimes they were so hungry they stole snacks from other '. Passion years earlier of immigrants who came and moved here for the Birds people are not going to vote me..., unbeknownst to his wife and their two children, and they would speed through Phnom Penh our Today Headlines. Is sad, the After setting up a sweet shop of his community and it a. Could have made ted ngoy second wife special piece just on the door and I open the door and I him...
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