Main content

How the Donut King lost his crown

Ted Ngoy was a penniless Cambodian refugee who built a multimillion dollar donut dynasty across California. He was called the Donut King, but he struggled to hang on to his crown.

Ted Ngoy was among the first Cambodians to find refuge in America from the Khmer Rouge. He was scratching a living at a petrol station when he got a whiff of a donut and something clicked in him. He learned to bake, then trained and supported other refugees like himself, and was soon presiding over a multimillion dollar business. He was known as the Donut King, and had the deep respect of his family and his community. But he struggled to hang on to his crown. Ted鈥檚 story is featured in the documentary, The Donut King. A longer version of this interview was first broadcast in April 2020.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Maryam Maruf

(Photo: Ted Ngoy in a donut shop. Credit: Getty Images)

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 20 Mar 2022 22:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 19 Mar 2022 09:32GMT
  • Sun 20 Mar 2022 00:32GMT
  • Sun 20 Mar 2022 09:32GMT
  • Sun 20 Mar 2022 22:32GMT

Contact Outlook

Contact Outlook

Info on how we might use your contribution on air

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected