The owners of Donut Town, Va and Yin Chhan, escaped tyranny to find happiness in America.
Written by
Valerie
Olander Correspondent
Apr. 22, 2012
Doughnuts are considered an American treat dating back to colonial
times, when the fried cakes were introduced by Dutch settlers. For
Redford bakery owners, doughnuts represent the American dream.
Donut Town at Beech Daly and Five Mile has been owned by Va and Yin Chhan since 1988, about 10 years after the Cambodian refugees arrived in the U.S. They also own Farm Hills Donuts on Farmington Road, near Eight Mile.
“We had zero. Not even a dollar in hand,” Va Chhan said.
Today, Va and his wife, Yin, arrive at the bakery in the wee hours of the morning to make the doughnuts for the early morning rush. A few hours later, a regular coffee klatch, mostly retirees, gathers at the counter to discuss township events and politics, including James Brenner, a township board candidate, who calls the doughnut shop his campaign headquarters.
“I need my coffee in the morning. My wife doesn't drink coffee. We don't even have a coffee pot in the house,” he said.
Brenner claims Donut Town has the best freshly ground coffee in the area. Over the years, a friendship has developed with the Chhans that keeps him coming back daily.
Meanwhile, customers stop in and out throughout the day, some quickly picking out a dozen tasty treats to go and others unable to decide on just 12 of the jelly-filled, frosted or nutty variety.
Few realize the couple had never heard of doughnuts, or tasted one until 1982, when they began working at a doughnut shop in California.
“We spoke not one word of English,” Yin said. She memorized the recipes and the words, representing the numerous varieties, such as “strawberry” filling.
Their story has a heartbreaking beginning in the jungles of Cambodia, where they lived for months hiding from the Khmer Rouge, which rose to power in 1975, about the same time American troops were making their exit from Vietnam.
The communist regime committed genocide during the following three years, slaughtering at least a quarter of the Cambodian population — about 2 million. Thousands of others, like the Chhans, fled their homeland and became refugees.
“During the war, many, many people were killed. My mother and father were killed by the Khmer Rouge,” Va said.
As villages were decimated by the communist soldiers, thousands sought refuge in neighboring Thailand. Va, then 25, and Yin, 24, followed. The Chhans' 2-year-old daughter, Vu, was carried on their backs as they walked to the border across the Cambodian countryside. It took about three days to get there, only to be told that Thailand was not accepting refugees.
“We had no idea where to go,” Va said.
They wandered through the jungles for six months, surviving on little food and water, hiding from the Khmer Rouge in the war-ravaged country.
They returned to the Thailand border a second time and were greeted by United Nations workers who accepted the refugees. After about two months in the camp, the Chhans found a sponsor to bring them to the U.S.
In December 1979, they arrived in Michigan with the help of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dearborn. The church set them up in a small house on Michigan Avenue and helped Va find a job at an area Burger King.
Two years later, they moved to California, where they worked at a doughnut shop, learning the baker's trade over the next four years. When they returned to Michigan in 1986, the Sacred Heart parish helped them open their first doughnut shop, Yum Yum Donuts in Dearborn Heights. Two years later, they bought the Redford location. At one time, they owned seven locations.
Their oldest daughter, Vu, who was carried through the Cambodian jungle, is now 35, married and has two children of her own. Two other Chhan children were born in the U.S. — John, 32, an engineer and graduate of Michigan State University and Su, 30, studying business at Midland College.
“We are so happy now. We love America,” Va said.
Both became American citizens years ago and now live in Livonia. They have also been familiarized with another immigrant custom that has become a tradition in the metro Detroit area, Paczki Day.
The Polish-Catholic jelly-filled doughnut, called a paczki, is a staple on Fat Tuesday, a day of indulging before Catholics' fasting days of Lent. Paczki Day is the busiest day of the year for the Chhans.
Donut Town at Beech Daly and Five Mile has been owned by Va and Yin Chhan since 1988, about 10 years after the Cambodian refugees arrived in the U.S. They also own Farm Hills Donuts on Farmington Road, near Eight Mile.
“We had zero. Not even a dollar in hand,” Va Chhan said.
Today, Va and his wife, Yin, arrive at the bakery in the wee hours of the morning to make the doughnuts for the early morning rush. A few hours later, a regular coffee klatch, mostly retirees, gathers at the counter to discuss township events and politics, including James Brenner, a township board candidate, who calls the doughnut shop his campaign headquarters.
“I need my coffee in the morning. My wife doesn't drink coffee. We don't even have a coffee pot in the house,” he said.
Brenner claims Donut Town has the best freshly ground coffee in the area. Over the years, a friendship has developed with the Chhans that keeps him coming back daily.
Meanwhile, customers stop in and out throughout the day, some quickly picking out a dozen tasty treats to go and others unable to decide on just 12 of the jelly-filled, frosted or nutty variety.
Few realize the couple had never heard of doughnuts, or tasted one until 1982, when they began working at a doughnut shop in California.
“We spoke not one word of English,” Yin said. She memorized the recipes and the words, representing the numerous varieties, such as “strawberry” filling.
Their story has a heartbreaking beginning in the jungles of Cambodia, where they lived for months hiding from the Khmer Rouge, which rose to power in 1975, about the same time American troops were making their exit from Vietnam.
The communist regime committed genocide during the following three years, slaughtering at least a quarter of the Cambodian population — about 2 million. Thousands of others, like the Chhans, fled their homeland and became refugees.
“During the war, many, many people were killed. My mother and father were killed by the Khmer Rouge,” Va said.
As villages were decimated by the communist soldiers, thousands sought refuge in neighboring Thailand. Va, then 25, and Yin, 24, followed. The Chhans' 2-year-old daughter, Vu, was carried on their backs as they walked to the border across the Cambodian countryside. It took about three days to get there, only to be told that Thailand was not accepting refugees.
“We had no idea where to go,” Va said.
They wandered through the jungles for six months, surviving on little food and water, hiding from the Khmer Rouge in the war-ravaged country.
They returned to the Thailand border a second time and were greeted by United Nations workers who accepted the refugees. After about two months in the camp, the Chhans found a sponsor to bring them to the U.S.
In December 1979, they arrived in Michigan with the help of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dearborn. The church set them up in a small house on Michigan Avenue and helped Va find a job at an area Burger King.
Two years later, they moved to California, where they worked at a doughnut shop, learning the baker's trade over the next four years. When they returned to Michigan in 1986, the Sacred Heart parish helped them open their first doughnut shop, Yum Yum Donuts in Dearborn Heights. Two years later, they bought the Redford location. At one time, they owned seven locations.
Their oldest daughter, Vu, who was carried through the Cambodian jungle, is now 35, married and has two children of her own. Two other Chhan children were born in the U.S. — John, 32, an engineer and graduate of Michigan State University and Su, 30, studying business at Midland College.
“We are so happy now. We love America,” Va said.
Both became American citizens years ago and now live in Livonia. They have also been familiarized with another immigrant custom that has become a tradition in the metro Detroit area, Paczki Day.
The Polish-Catholic jelly-filled doughnut, called a paczki, is a staple on Fat Tuesday, a day of indulging before Catholics' fasting days of Lent. Paczki Day is the busiest day of the year for the Chhans.
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