From a refugee camp in Cambodia to San Mateo's favorite donut shop — a journey of resilience, family, and the pursuit of sweetness in a sometimes cruel world.
Owner Lean Ma's family fled Cambodia to escape the Khmer Rouge, one of the largest genocides in history. From 1976 to 1980, her family stayed in numerous refugee camps throughout Southeast Asia, including one in Thailand where Lean was born.
The journey was devastating. Lean's older brother, just two years old, and several girl cousins did not survive the escape due to lack of food. When the family finally arrived in America, they had nothing but each other.
After settling briefly in Washington, a friend introduced Lean's father to a donut business opportunity in Yucca Valley, near Palm Springs. For a family with limited English, donuts were the perfect business — customers simply pointed at what they wanted.
"My dad was already an entrepreneur when he was young," Lean recalls. "They found the business really easy to operate. The customers just point to what they want and as you go, you learn English."
Despite facing racism in the predominantly Caucasian town, the Ma family persevered. As the business grew successful, they opened more donut shops while moving around California — from Fairfield to San Francisco.
Today, the family's original donut business is known as "Happy Donuts" with several locations around California. Everywhere they went, they'd open a shop, then lease it to others in their community who wanted to get into the business.
Growing up, Lean helped at her parents' shop — folding boxes, cleaning, and working the register. But she didn't want to follow the same path. "When I was growing up, I didn't want to be in the business," she admits.
After college, she realized she loved the business — just a different aspect of it. Not the demanding early mornings, but the creative side: designing menus, creating the store atmosphere, and connecting with customers.
Inspired by her favorite childhood donut — the French Cruller — and her favorite 80's song "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama, Lean opened Cruel Donuts in San Mateo.
"It is a cruel world out there, but you can sprinkle a little bit of happiness in people's lives by giving them donuts." Now, alongside her younger brother and sister, Lean continues the family tradition while adding her own creative twist with Pan-Asian flavors.
Every donut we make carries four decades of family tradition and a whole lot of love.