Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy touched down in San Diego’s Camp Pendleton on a military jet in 1975 with his wife and children. Months later, Ngoy signed himself up for a managerial training program at Winchell’s Donut House, his heart set on owning his own shop one day. Not only did he achieve that goal when he bought a Christy’s Donuts shop in La Habra, Calif., in 1977, but Ngoy began making small changes, like frying multiple fresh batches of doughnuts a day instead of just two, and tweaking existing recipes. As a result, Christy’s Donuts became more popular than ever and, by 1980, he owned 20 Christy’s Donuts locations. Also the first to package doughnuts in light pink boxes, when Ngoy realized he was getting his own taste of California gold, he began sponsoring visas for Cambodian immigrants to start their own shops. Southern California is now rich with local doughnut chains and independently owned shops, many owned by first-generation and second-generation Cambodian immigrants. “The Donut King,” a 2020 documentary, tells the story of Ngoy’s life.

For Ngoy and those he helped to open their own doughnut shops, the focus was on improving service, refining recipes and creating a formula for success that could be replicated for years to come. It’s this steadfastness that’s given second-generation and even third-generation doughnut shop owners the freedom to experiment and introduce new ingredients and flavors that honor their culinary heritage.

“Nobody gets to the next stage without help. My mom helped my aunt get a store. My aunt helped her cousin get a store. You bring everyone with you,” said Jennie Fou Lee, who took ownership of L.A.’s beloved DK’s Donuts in 2021. “Our parents’ generation are either selling their shops or closing down. There’s a group of us that are taking over and taking everything into the next era. We all have kids now, so we want our kids to see what their grandparents have built.”

“The doughnut is very enigmatic,” added Nile Dreiling, owner of Holey Grail Donuts, a taro doughnut mini-chain that was founded in Hawaii and opened a brick-and-mortar in Santa Monica in December 2022. “It’s a platform for our values [and] a teacher about a very accessible product.”

This devotion to doughnuts can’t be found in any other city. While Dunkin’ dominates the average American doughnut experience with its straightforward menu of fritters, crullers and sprinkle-topped rings, L.A.’s mom-and-pop doughnut shops have always stood out for their international flavors. From Japanese-style tofu doughnuts to traditional Greek loukoumades, here are eight doughnut shops that are adding a cultural spin to the classic dessert.