The Donut King

Tells the associated stories: of Cambodian-American Ted Ngoy, who came to the US in the 1970s virtually penniless as a refugee escaping the war in Indochina and not even knowing what it was at the time beyond knowing being intoxicated with what he was smelling, became a doughnut shop mogul; and of how, with his emotional and financial support, Cambodian-Americans, most in a similar situation as him upon their arrival into the US as refugees, cornered the doughnut market in Southern California in the late twentieth century, virtually pushing out the big chains who could not compete either in quality or in cost with their higher overhead. It was his drive for the proverbial American dream which led to Ted's success, but which also led to his problems in the quest for more and more money but not in the entrepreneurial way. And with the "mom 'n' pop" doughnut shops also leading to financial comfort for his fellow Cambodian-Americans, the question would become what would happen with their legacy as their offspring would have more diverse opportunities, which for some may not include making doughnuts.