PHOTOS AND STORY BY ROB MORRIS
Singing a Song of the
Perfect Donut
Every morning at 3:00 a.m., the music starts for Thit Kim, owner of the Donut Palace in Moore. For Kim, making donuts is every bit as intense as a great singer performing in concert.
he struggled with the immigration process of bringing her over to the United States. “It took almost five years to get her over because for some reason, the immigration officials suspected that we had a fake marriage,” said Kim. “We had met in 2010 and married in July of 2011. It normally takes 8-months to a year, so we spent all that time communicating by phone and internet until I could get her here.”
“People that are great at singing songs focus on singing each note perfectly,” said Kim. “When they do this, the music is so romantic and beautiful. For me, it’s the same way with making donuts. Every step in the process is like singing a perfect note in a song. If you focus on each step you end up with a beautiful donut.”
His wife was finally allowed to immigrate in December of 2015. Since that time Kim, who goes by the nickname of “Polo,” and his wife come to work each morning at 3 a.m. to begin the process of making some of the area’s best donuts.
Kim’s passion for producing the perfect donut has generated a loyal customer base and earned the Donut Palace a first-place finish in this year’s Best of Moore and South Oklahoma City awards. As excited as he was about winning, his customers were even more thrilled. “Our customers are like family to us,” said Kim, “So it’s been really fun when they come in the door and see the trophy on our counter. They are very happy for us.” Kim, who is originally from Cambodia, moved from San Diego to Oklahoma in 2008. He says that he worked in a donut shop and didn’t really like it. But then came the chance to have his own donut shop in 2013. 26 | MOORE MONTHLY | APRIL 2020
“I bought the business on May 1 of 2013,” said Kim. “I learned to make donuts from a friend who owned the Donut Palace in Noble. He trained me how to make the donuts and I’ve kind of added my own touch to the process.” At first, he ran the operation by himself, coming in at 1 a.m. daily to begin the process of making donuts. Kim’s wife was still living in Cambodia at the time as
“At 4 a.m. we start to roll the donuts,” said Kim. “And then we begin to cook them at 5 a.m. so they’re hot and fresh each morning.” Kim says that all of the products at the Donut Palace are made fresh each day. At the end of each day’s shift, the leftover products are disposed of so that customers arriving each morning will have the freshest donuts, kolaches, and other pastries available. Their dedication to the art of making perfect donuts has generated a loyal customer base.
