GRAPF ORIGINS

Donut shops and Asian Americans. Did you know that much of America’s donut culture is the way it is today because of Cambodian immigrants? In the 1970s, Cambodia was made another stage for the Cold War, forcing Cambodian refugees like Ted Ngoy to seek safety in America. Ngoy arrived in the United States with very little and worked odd jobs until he could afford to start his own business. In 1977, he opened Christy’s Donuts in Southern California and the rest was history. Ngoy went on to buy many other donut shops, staffed them with other Cambodian refugees in Southern California, and even made the pink donut box the symbol for donuts in America. Ngoy is but a pioneer in this ongoing story. There are now more than 1,500 Cambodian-owned donut shops in California and it is estimated that 90% of all donut shops in Texas are Cambodian-owned. Fortunately, you don’t have to go cross country to try some of these donuts, Cindy’s Donuts in Grand Rapids and Good Time Donuts in Holland, Michigan are both Cambodian-run, and their reviews are out of this world. Ngoy's inspiring story was captured in an award-winning documentary, The Donut King, in 2021. Watch it today at www.donutkingmovie.comIn image quote: There is no destiny, the destiny is you.This story is brought to you by the Grand Rapids Asian Pacific Foundation Join our community at GRAPF.org