via Khmer NZ News Media
Donut Palace owner Amanda Chea opened her first store in 2003 at Castlewoods. Now she owns five stores in Rankin and Madison counties, with the most recent opening at Crossgates in April. (Melanie Thortis | Rankin Ledger)
June 22, 2010
By Justin Fritscher
Amanda Chea delicately snagged a doughnut and passed it to a hungry customer.
It's late in the morning, and business is steady at her newest - and fifth location - on U.S. 80 at Crossgates. Although her day at the Brandon bakery started at 5 a.m., she still was all smiles.
Why? Business is good, real good for the head of a growing pastry empire in Madison and Rankin counties.
Doughnuts have proved to be recession-proof, and Chea, a native of Cambodia, is looking to open more stores.
"I'm just trying to find the best locations," Chea said, whose newest store opened in April.
One of her late morning patrons, Brandon resident Suzan Harris, said she and her family visit the store about once a week.
"They're cheaper here, and they taste good," Harris said of the variety of doughnuts behind the glass counter.
Chea admits that when she opened her first shop in 2003, she did not have much of a sweet tooth.
"I used to be 100 pounds," said Chea, with a laugh. "It's tempting to work here," the slender Madison resident said.
She opened her first store seven years ago at Lakeland Drive and Crossgates Boulevard.
Donut Palace is a franchise, and a chance meeting with the owner of the McComb location led to Chea opening her original store in 2003.
"He helped me get started. I told him I didn't have any equipment, and he said, 'I have some equipment you can use,'" Chea said.
"He said, 'When you make money, you can pay me back.' I couldn't believe he was taking a risk on me."
At the time, she was managing a Chinese eatery in Northpark mall, and business was weak.
"I knew I had to do something else," she said. "I knew I needed a change."
She discovered what would soon be her first doughnut shop, seeing a "for lease" sign at an old pharmacy along Lakeland Drive.
"I knew it would be a good location," she said. "I thought, 'This could be my big break.'"
But she and her family remained uncertain.
"My family said, 'No, it's not going to work out. We're going to be homeless.' I said, 'Please God.'"
Now they have a different attitude. Now many of her relatives work for the doughnut shops.
Her aunt and uncle are managing her two Madison stores (one on Bozeman Road and one on U.S. 51). Her mom is managing the Lakeland Drive location, and her sister is managing the one on Old Fannin Road.
Doughnuts, in a way, were part of her childhood. Her mom, Kim, owned a doughnut shop in Southern California, her home for 20 years after leaving Cambodia at age 10.
She helped sell the doughnuts there when she was in high school, she said.
"I didn't really want to go back to doughnuts," she said. "But it really is different now."
Hours are not so bad. Her Crossgates store is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and her other stores are open from 5 a.m. to noon.
Her husband, Andy, works the early morning gig at the Crossgates location, starting the baking process at 1 a.m.
Andy and Amanda Chea have four children, ranging from ages 4 to 15, and the older ones enjoy coming to help out around the shop, Chea said.
"They really enjoy coming," she said. "They came last week, and they had a great time."
To comment on this story, call Justin Fritscher at (601) 961-7266.
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