SoCal's inextricable ties to donuts and the Cambodian refugees who made them

AirTalk

Donut shops are an integral part of Southern California's landscape, with an independent mom-and-pop on almost every corner. But, how did they become so prevalent? And how did they all come to use the same pink box to signify that fluffy goodness inside? SoCal's donut scene owes much of its legacy to Cambodian refugees, who came to California during the Khmer Rouge's civil war. In fact, your local corner shop is most likely thanks to one man in particular: Ted Ngoy, the Donut King. Ngoy fled Cambodia in 1975, and eventually opened his first donut shop in La Habra called Christy's. Although small donut shops existed before Christy's, Ngoy's donut recipe and signature pink box soon became the standard, largely because Ngoy would help other Cambodian immigrants open shops of their own.

Today on AirTalk, we learn about Ted Ngoy's legacy and the Cambodian donut shop that has made SoCal the donut capital of the world. Joining us is Alice Gu, director of the documentary The Donut King and Phung Huynh, artist and educator. You can see Phung’s Pink Donut Boxes series at Cal State Long Beach as part of their Against Monoculture exhibit. You can also watch The Donut King documentary on Hulu.