Johnny’s Donuts
Kimmeng Soeung
3969 Mt. Diablo Blvd ~ (925) 283-9352
Johnny’s Donuts is synonymous with Lafayette. Every family, child, soccer player, student, grandparent and visitor to our city for the past 50 years has walked by and smelled the fresh-baked deliciousness of glazed, chocolate, sprinkled or nut encrusted donuts cooling in the display cases – punctuated with a donut hole for good luck.
What you might not know is that Johnny’s donuts is a work of three generations of Cambodian immigrants who have not only mastered the art of donut making, but contributed mightily to our town. Kim Soeung, the current owner, has a fascinating history of grit and dedication that rivals tech giants and entrepreneurs.
Kim was born in the Battambang province of Cambodia (2 hours from Angkor Wat) and came to America in 1998, not knowing a word of English. She went to adult school at night to learn the language and enrolled in college to study engineering. She ended up working for a medical device company and was rapidly promoted to research and development, primarily designing devices to assist in heart surgery.
Little by little, she invited her family to join her in California and got them jobs making donuts. She herself learned how to make donuts and soon was holding down two jobs – one in the medical field and the other as an owner of donut shops in Sacramento and San Jose.
When the owner of Johnny’s donuts suffered a stroke, he reached out to Kim and she immediately took up the reigns at the store just as the pandemic was beginning. “Johnny’s store never had to close,” she grinned as she remembered those days. She quickly fell in love with Lafayette and moved her family to the city. All three of her daughters attended school in Lafayette and two have since graduated to study nursing in graduate school.
The author with the original Johnny in 2018
Kim has dramatically improved the offerings at Johnny’s while keeping all things the same. The lay out of the store is identical to 50 years ago, but the upholstery is new and the floors are polished. She has added croissants -- made in house -- and even serves up breakfast sandwiches with egg, ham, bacon or sausage. The coffee is fresh and delicious. There is a new Ube donut, made from potato flour, which is gluten free.
Kim is a relentless supporter of schools, teams and other fundraising events in Lafayette. “The people here are so kind,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. It is people like Kim that make our town kind, with her generous spirit and her delightful countenance. Her work ethic (getting up at 4:00 am) and staying until the store closes at 5:30 is an inspiration to all of us.