Laga Travel Bags are handmade by survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. Each artisan memorizes the traditional patterns and imbues them with their individual stamp. Struggling with having lost jobs, family members and the only home they ever knew, they are rebuilding their lives… one handbag at a time. When former tsunami Relief Coordinator for Saddleback Church, Roy Van Broekhuizen, and his wife, Louise, brought back some of the handbags and sold them at a home party. LAGA DESIGNS INTERNATIONAL, INC. was born. They still sell these stunning purses via home parties, as well as at retail boutiques and trade shows. Van Broekhuizen himself came to the US as an immigrant in 1961 and he says, “America has given me much and this is a small way of giving back.”

Info: 888-LAGA-BAG or www.laga-handbags.com .

Checkout Sushi and Sake magazine link here, http://www.sushiandtofu.com/Event_Entertainment/HereThere/2007-12HereThere.html

His younger brother, Rene, also helps feed the world. He is the Regional Chef of McCormick & Schmick Restaurants.