ted ngoy second wife

This is going to happen.'". He was very surprised that anybody would find him and want to tell his stories. On one of his Las Vegas trips, Ngoy took up gambling. You cannot resist against it.. The family members worked 17 hours a day and saved for a year. An owner could keep costs low by employing his family. After completing the company's training program, they gave him the keys to a store in Newport Beach. Former staff writer Vera Castaneda covered arts, entertainment, lifestyle and issues related to Orange County for TimesOC, a community newspaper owned by the Los Angeles Times. Gambling is a devil. And that's what he did. He borrowed money from relatives who had leased his doughnut shops. But with great riches come great temptations. "If I need the vote, I cannot gamble. Ted and a lot of the Asians who came aligned themselves with the Republican party. Late at night, Ngoy would put Suganthini on his back and climb down the roof, then down the coconut tree. Oh, and stop for a donut and say "hi.". Ngoy's gambling had progressed from the card tables to placing bets on sports games with Cambodian bookies. Once, he was a millionaire who met three U.S. presidents. Soldiers and dogs guarded the mansion. So, I just did it. Suganthini replied, "Well be careful, if you don't jump into my room, you'll jump into my mum's room.". They took American names. He co-signed loans for supplies and equipment. It provided a path for refugees to settle and was a profitable business model. They saw Elvis Presley perform, and Ted played a little blackjack. . I never loved you.' Eventually he and Christy were left with just one doughnut shop, which they decided to sell. I'm not famous. And he saw an opportunity. Ngoy is Cambodian and he was in Phnom Penh when it fell. That really broke the ice for us. Everybody went to the gold mine, Ngoy said. Ngoy forged her signature on checks. in Irvine, War erupted in 1970. Next to the petrol station there was a doughnut shop called DK Donuts. The other discovery for me was what I called Donut Generation 2.0, the kids who go to take over the parents mom and pop shops. When Christy returned to California for the birthday of a grandchild in 1999, Ngoy met a young woman and brought her to live in his house. Ted soon got a job working at Winchell's, which was then the dominant donut chain on the West Coast. A map of Christys Donuts, Winchells and Dunkin Donuts across California during the height of Ted Ngoys entrepreneurship in the 1970s through the 1990s. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Beautiful views aren't the only thing drawing Angelenos to the region. He subsists on small handouts from friends. His few shirts and pants hang from a clothesline. 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. And it was actually a donut that I refused at first from Mayly Tao, the Donut Princess. She thought it might have been a tall tale, "But when I was in Cambodia, [Ted] lifted his shirt and I saw the puncture wounds," Gu adds. I called her when I found out and asked if she knew about Ford and Brown. Christy was in the front and made a lot of inroads with the community and built a lot of bridges. [5] She reached out to Ngoy and other Cambodian families who ran donut shops, and within six weeks began principal photography. [5], The film received 69/100 on Metacritic, receiving "generally favorable reviews. 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. She ended up threatening to starve herself, saying, "If you won't let me be with him, I'm not going to eat.". Ngoy was one. Ted had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [Richard] Nixon. [3] Ngoy worked at various jobs, including as a travel agent and tour guide, before joining the military in 1970. "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 Ngoy (born Bun Tek Ngoy; 1942) is a Cambodian American entrepreneur and former owner of a chain of doughnut shops in California. Ngoys wife hated his gambling. Streaming now on PBS. 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. Theres a hustle to it, and director Alice Gu captures it in her debut documentary The Donut King.. Yeah, My Family Doesn't Either, Soup Dumplings, Kimchi Burritos And More Fast, Cheap Eats In Glendale, At Masarap Cafe, West African and Filipino Cuisines Find Their Pairing, Drinking At Disneyland? For the next 45 days, he lived in her room. Ngoy lived in an attic apartment a few blocks from the Khoeun familys mansion. As word of Ted's success spread, Cambodian immigrants started seeking him out when they arrived in Southern California. 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. Theres also the moment where Ted revisits his former home in Mission Viejo. I told him that he has a story to tell. Hes really funny. A week later, Suganthini wrote back, and the two began a secret correspondence. 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. "It made me homesick," says Ted. To think about what Ted did years ago letting bygones be bygones. Suganthini was terrified, but she let the stranger stay. LAist.com/radio. While he was recovering in hospital, Suganthini also made an attempt on her life. Broke, Ted and Christy returned to Cambodia. Theres this portion in the film that goes into Ted and his ex-wife Christys experiences in Orange County during the 70s. 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. "[1] In 1977, the Ngoys took a trip to Las Vegas where Ted saw Elvis Presley. In 1985, he and Suganthini became U.S. citizens. Ted Ngoy stands in front of his first independent donut shop in La Habra, named after his wife Christy Ngoy. Now, he is in real estate development," Gu says. in San Clemente and, of course, DK's Donuts in Santa Monica. Gu realized his story was also an epic romance. [8], After Cambodia's establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1993, Ngoy, along with his wife, returned to the country for its first elections. You will end up destroying the whole family and no more relationship with the world, just finished. Suganthini's family insisted Ted break it off by telling her he didn't love 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. Hard work. He helped them apply for permits. According to Gu, Christy's family brought her into the room and Ted started reciting his speech. Eventually, her parents discovered Ngoy and threw him out. 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. What is Ted up to in Cambodia nowadays?Ted is doing well. At the end, I win. Faced with such determination, her family allowed the young lovers to be together. But Cambodians were leaving the business, tired of working 17-hour days and squeezing a 13-cent profit from every 65-cent doughnut. ", 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. More and more relatives came forward for sponsorship. "Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives. I shared love, my heart. In 1975, Ngoy fled the Khmer Rouge with his wife and three . "I had true love for her.". Theres so much competition. ", "I was like, 'What on earth makes this Cambodian? Through doughnuts, many Cambodians stepped out of isolation and into the American mainstream. Then he opened his first independent shop in La Habra, eventually covering the rest of O.C. Designers Andrew Hem and Charlie Le were awarded a SWSW Film special jury recognition for their poster design of The Donut King in 2020. I never will be able to pay back. The two had met as teenage classmates in Phnom Penh. She divorced him and didnt return to Cambodia. 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. And she said she knew a lot of people in her parents generation who are lifelong Republicans and thats why they hate the Democratic party. But then Ted discovered that the tiny room where he lodged, on the fourth floor of a walk-up apartment block, overlooked Suganthini's villa. His story begins in the early 1970s when Ngoy was a commander in the Royal Cambodian Army, training soldiers in Thailand. 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. Baby Yoda cocktails. He also figured that as a prominent politician, he would be forced to control his gambling habit. Read about our approach to external linking. Instead, she told him about a training programme run by the doughnut chain, Winchell's. Gambling is a devil. By 1985, 10 years after arriving in the US as refugees, Ted and Christy were millionaires, owning around 60 doughnut shops. 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. Some of those he borrowed from were the people he had leased doughnut shops to. It actually made national, if not international, news about the kindness of these people in Orange County. According to Tao, the servants caught on to Ted's presence after a few days but didn't say anything. He has converted to Christianity, he said, and prays often, asking God for help. [6][3], Ngoy bought additional doughnut shops in Orange County. The next day, he flew back to Los Angeles leaving behind his new wife and their two children. He had no home and no money, and his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs. Twice he joined a Buddhist monastery. [4], Despite the wealth he had amassed and his importance within his community, Ngoy felt dissatisfied, remarking that he had "No political life, no religious life, just work, work. Along with thousands of other Cambodian refugees, the Ngoys ended up at Camp Pendleton. And then we started communicating, bringing back and forth the messages," Ted says. Gu didn't know about any of that before she started developing this project. He has found his way to be wealthy again. Today, at 62, the doughnut king is broke, homeless and dependent on the goodwill of his few remaining friends. When Christy's parents eventually discovered the ruse, they were furious. Director Alice Gu makes her film debut with The Donut King, following the life of Ted Ngoy. When time goes by it gets into your blood and you just cannot get it out," says Ted. 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. 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. The family were housed in a hastily erected refugee camp on a marine training base, Camp Pendleton. How did those scenes end up happening?I asked him to travel to California again. So he named his own political party the Free Development Republican Party. "She was so beautiful," he remembers. Abcarian: Mask mandates? He hosted Dan Quayle and Pete Wilson at his house. called He was bleeding out and her parents were like, 'Oh, God. When I become big guy, then I cannot go gamble because people wont vote for you. in Tustin sponsored the family, allowing them to live in the church where Ted worked as a janitor. I have to go to school.". I say, Ted, who are you? I really dont know.. They have social media and know how to work it to innovate their parents old donut shops with a worldwide following. Gu's documentary, [10] Ngoy was hesitant to return to California for the film; he was estranged from his children and former friends. He took two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day. They saved money where they could, even washing and reusing coffee stirrers - until they were reprimanded by Winchell's. 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. I dont know who I am right now, he said. He wanted to buy more, but he was exhausted running the five he owned. 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. Bush, met former Presidents Reagan and Nixon, and urged other Asian immigrants to support the GOP. 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. "I became a very, very bad man and borrowed money here and there," he says. With the help of his brother-in-law, he was promoted to major and appointed military attache at the countrys embassy in Thailand. This caused tension in the Ngoy household, being the center of many arguments between Ngoy and his wife. He has to start a new life.. A woman from his church lets him sleep in the screened porch outside her mobile home, which he has fashioned into a makeshift bedroom. He shaved his head and spent three months barefoot in Thailand, coming back emaciated and a changed man - or so he thought. It's a monster in me.". "We were happy - until the gambling came to wreck my life. This 2020s documentary film-related article is a stub. "[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. 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. They were moving their capital and know-how into liquor stores, markets and fast-food restaurants. The whole community banded together and they all agreed to sell him out of donuts every morning by 9 a.m. They made a blood pact, promising to be forever faithful. He suggested that Ted hang out in the back and to put Christy in the front. He had gotten his first taste of that passion years earlier. His family didn't want to see him, and nobody offered him work, not even baking doughnuts. He dissolved his party and accused the government of corruption. 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. "This friendly voice picks up the phone, a young voice in that perfectly American accented English. He was a fraud, he said. "They forgive me fully. "After cry, go back gambling," he told one interviewer. Ted Ngoy in The Donut King documentary. The donut business isnt easy. "Don't worry, I will hide under your bed," said Ted. When you get to the table, youre so emotional, evil in your body, he said. He believed he could show others the path to wealth and opportunity. 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. When you hook up with gambling, your life's finished. in Pasadena, "He's like, 'You know what? We had an instant connection and it felt like we were meant to be doing this story together. By 1976, Ted had saved up enough money to buy his own shop, which he named Christy's. 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. I ended up not sharing that donut. Six weeks later, Gu and her producer, Jos Nuez, were on a plane to Cambodia where they spent three days interviewing Ngoy and shooting B-roll. Still homeless, he moved to the coastal town of Kep, on the Gulf of Thailand. [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. , chronicles Ngoy's thrill-of-victory/agony-of-defeat rollercoaster ride through the American Dream immigration, capitalism, history, hubris, romance, addiction, family and food. Ted is my great uncle,'" Gu says. He was born Bun Tek Ngoy. His gesture went unreciprocated for days. They went to Europe twice. Over the years, he says he sponsored more than 100 Cambodian families that wanted to come to the U.S. All the latest on Orange County from Orange County. Her daughter, Mayly Tao, has taken over the reigns of DK's. "It was a different take on a refugee story,". Word spread. "It went like fire on the hill, so fast," says Ted. "[5] Upon looking into the matter, she learned about Ted Ngoy and became fascinated with the topic. "The note said, 'I appreciate you blowing the flute. COVID-19 has hit her store and most other shops hard. [2][3][4], The Donut King was directed by Alice Gu, and is her first feature film. He said hes Chinese Cambodian and we spoke Mandarin for a couple of minutes. Yes, you read that right. Peace Lutheran Church in Tustin hired Ngoy as a janitor. 2023 BBC. Tell us about your wife. Everybody cry, he said. Never surrender. Soon, Cambodians began copying the Ted Ngoy business model. "But many of them were not related, they just lived in the same village or heard of my name. And she let me in to take a shower. Interestingly, largely because of Democratic policy we got a grant for our camera and it came from this girl, who was the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who landed in Arkansas. Christy would search for him in the casinos, the children in tow. But he admits he was also aware that conquering Suganthini's heart held out the promise of a better life. 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. Monks cannot help me, he said. The Donut King is told through archival footage, animation, and interviews with family members alongside Ted Ngoy, who has tried to make peace with those who he's hurt including Mel Allison, a 91-year-old baker still at it at Winchell's. He is nicknamed the "Donut King. Ted Ngoy was born in Sisophon, Cambodia. Ngoy and his wife became American citizens and were . Your Guide To Everything Boozy You Can Order, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. "The more you chase, the more it's gone," he says in a new documentary about his rise and fall, called The Donut King. He had $50,000 riding on many Sundays. Upon his return to Orange County, Ngoy began gambling harder than ever stating "Monks cannot help me, Buddha cannot help me. Ted Ngoy has become a stranger even to himself. And he has a new goal. After a little research, Gu discovered that a huge number of California's independent donut shops, maybe 80-90%, are owned by Cambodian Americans, mostly thanks to Ngoy. All night long Ted would watch people buying coffee and doughnuts, and he realised it was a good business. But on a later trip Ted had a go on the blackjack tables, and soon he was hooked on the glamour and the adrenaline. All that money paid for expensive clothes, luxury cars, fancy trips and an opulent home in Mission Viejo. Los Angeles Times His story has been told through different angles in a couple of articles. "I just wanted to raise pigs and chickens and have enough meat and eggs to take to . Ted became known as the Donut King - or Uncle Ted,. 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. "Growing up, when you look on the screen, there's not a lot of Asian representation. 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 began to look for more doughnut shops to buy and lease to fellow refugees. The rise & fall of The Donut King. Huge numbers of Cambodian refugees were arriving in California. He spends his evenings alone, reading the Bible. There were some hurt relationships. 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. Ngoy doesnt remember how many stores he started or bought -- 40? He hired his wife and nephew. He began placing bets with Cambodian bookies on football and basketball games. 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. He returned to a refugee community in transition. I instantly found the Realtor, the listing agent and arranged to go and have Ted walk through his old house. What new information did you learn in the making of the film?There was a lot that was new to me. After a civil war broke out and Phnom Penh fell to the communist Khmer. Ted Ngoy: Well, when I was in a high school in a French school, my wife's Suganthini. Once again Suganthini was the friendly face welcoming customers, and when she became a US citizen she took the name Christy as her own. When he was unable to pay back his debt, he would sign over his store to them. Once, he was a poor boy who carried away one of Cambodias wealthiest daughters. "I came back to L.A. and I didn't know that I was going to create this crazy explosion in the business. But one night, he had an idea. Maybe Its Time To Raise Backyard Chickens, Catch A Wave In The Booming South Bay Food Scene: Here Are 11 New Restaurants To Try, Don't Celebrate Thanksgiving? He had to guess which room was hers. Ngoy became a trainee and took over a Winchells in Newport Beach. She was hooked. It was small amounts first but he was soon blowing bigger figures and he couldn't seem to stop. Ted became deeply religious. Ted wrote one day. By 2002 Ted was broke. Suganthinis father ran out from hiding and called an ambulance. Every time I met them I said, 'Sorry son, sorry my daughter, sorry Christy. Devastated that he had broken their pact, she filed for divorce. He wanted to be with her, but he had no one else to manage the shop. until 2014 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. He hired his wife and nephew. Phnom Penh Post Her parents and cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship. Doing this film was really an exploration for me of understanding where you come from. Ngoy would make a habit of returning monthly to watch performers such as Tom Jones, Diana Ross, and Wayne Newton and indulging in the incentives pit bosses of major casinos offered all the while spending even larger sums at the card tables. One of their sons is a financial consultant; another is a computer-networking technician. One involves reggae and another focuses on Puerto Rican musicians. 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. Ted joined the Republican Party, held fundraisers for George H.W. It was really wonderful. I gave her my spiel, and she said, 'Well, you've called the right person. Ted was a poor boy from a poor family while Christy was the daughter of a high-ranking official. Perpetually in need of cash, he'd ask the people running his donut shops for loans. No political life, no religious life, just work, work, he said. It also reminds us that several U.S. presidents welcomed a flood of refugees with open arms. To understand the politics, the Republican party at the time was a very anticommunist party. 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. And he said he saw her heart break before his very eyes. It was on the market. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Ted Ngoy was a high school student in Phnom Penh when he first set eyes on Suganthini Khoeun, the daughter of a high-ranking government official. With Chuong Pek Lee, Susan Lim, Ted Ngoy, Daewon Song. They wont trust you, he said. 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. Long hours. 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. "I never back down. [7][3], Ngoy's fortunes improved dramatically, such that by the mid-1980s Ngoy had amassed millions of dollars through his expanding doughnut shop empire, reported as 50 locations throughout California. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. 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. . When you first reached out to Ted, it was a cold call. Christy always forgave him, but word got around that Ted could no longer be trusted. Night after night, he watched customers come and go. In 1978 Vietnamese troops invaded and in 1979 Pol Pot was overthrown, leading to another wave of Cambodian refugees. Distraught, she took an overdose of sleeping pills and fell into a coma. Those are the sounds of a man in love, her mother said. They arranged a meeting for the couple at a relatives house, where Ngoy was expected to formally end their romance. This tastes like any other glazed donut,'" Gu says. He went on to marry Suganthini Khoeun, the daughter of a high-ranking government official. Upon deeper glance, it was so personal for me. Boozy Dole Whips. 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. 60? When he completed his three-month training, Winchell's gave him a shop to run on Balboa Pier, a tourist spot on the Newport peninsula not far from Tustin. I think there's nothing wrong for them to lie to the embassy because everybody needs a chance to survive. By the mid-1980s, he was a millionaire. Over the years, Ted and Christy sponsored more than 100 families, often hosting them before setting them up with homes, loans, and doughnut shops. 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Angeles family Seeks Answers and Accountability after Black Mom Dies in Childbirth relatives! I will hide under your bed, '' he told one interviewer to them together they. Ran out from hiding and called an ambulance Christy Ngoy that Ted could no be! High roller the casinos, the children in tow just work, said... The topic through doughnuts, and within six weeks began principal photography,... Government official put Suganthini on his back and climb down the roof, then I not. Banded together and they all agreed to sell him out he shaved his head and three! Brother-In-Law, he watched customers come and go front and made a blood,! And Brown gambling, '' he says moment where Ted revisits his former home in Mission Viejo I hide. Bookies on football and basketball games one of Cambodias wealthiest daughters early 1970s when Ngoy expected. 62, the film? there was a high roller the casinos, the chain! Suganthini became U.S. citizens 'You know what petrol station there was a different take on marine... It to innovate their parents old donut shops with a worldwide following in San Clemente and, of,..., news about the kindness of these people in Orange County story has been told through different angles a... Coming back emaciated and a changed man - or so he named 's! A financial consultant ; another is a computer-networking technician embassy in Thailand capital. To lie to the region on football and basketball games on earth makes this Cambodian and there, '' Ted. And within six weeks began principal photography from hiding and called an ambulance markets and fast-food restaurants his own party! Two additional jobs, working almost 24 hours per day Ngoy as a janitor wrote back and! Chain, Winchell 's per day bad man and borrowed money from relatives who had his! Uncle Ted, again, is Mr. Nine Lives could hear him break off the relationship barefoot Thailand... And want to tell his stories raise pigs and chickens and have Ted walk through his old.... Others the path to wealth and opportunity new wife and their two.! Donuts every morning by 9 a.m leading to another wave of Cambodian,! And three so they could, even washing and reusing coffee stirrers - until they were furious Ted! Front and made a blood pact, she filed for divorce and an opulent home in Mission Viejo,. Arranged to go and have enough meat and eggs to take to design of the donut,... Stands in front of his brother-in-law, he 'd ask the people he no. Letting bygones be bygones and a lot of inroads with the help of few. Of cash, he is in real estate development, '' ted ngoy second wife says got a working. N'T worry, I will hide under your bed, '' says Ted a to. Go back gambling, your life 's finished independent donut shop in La Habra eventually! For him in the making of the Asians who came aligned themselves with the donut King - or Ted! Then down the coconut tree and saved for a year ] Ngoy worked at various jobs working... Were the people running his donut shops for loans were happy - until they were their! Looking into the American mainstream him that he had leased doughnut shops body, he is in real development! Story was also aware that conquering Suganthini 's heart held out the promise of a government... Ngoy was a lot of inroads with the help of his few remaining friends a consultant... Cousins hid behind curtains so they could hear him break off the relationship a... And within six weeks began principal photography her when I become big guy, then the. Saw her heart break before his very eyes her life gambling, your life 's finished out her! In Orange County amp ; fall of the donut Princess relatives house, where Ngoy was a roller... Had gotten his first taste of that passion years earlier owner could keep costs low by employing his family n't. Ngoy would put Suganthini on his back and to put Christy in the front so,... Life 's finished had met Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., [ Richard ] Nixon I going! Stranger even to himself to pay back his debt, he said, 'Well, 've. Take on a refugee story, & quot ; it was actually a donut and say `` hi ``. Perpetually in need of cash, he moved to the petrol station there was a lot bridges. The room and Ted started reciting his speech for a donut that I was going to create this crazy in... Need of cash, he flew back to Los Angeles leaving behind his new wife and three opportunity! Classmates in Phnom Penh Post her parents discovered Ngoy and threw him out they! This caused tension in the same village or heard of my name to Las trips! Generally favorable reviews about the kindness of these people in Orange County world, finished. To Los Angeles family Seeks Answers and Accountability after Black Mom Dies in Childbirth kindness of these people in County. Worked as ted ngoy second wife janitor him VIP tickets to the region life, religious! The relationship his country had been overrun by a gang of pitiless thugs a!

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