In Santa Cruz, a new group of food and drink makers gathered at the Homeless Garden Project farm in Santa Cruz with examples of their products, including apples, jams, sausages, mini-kegs and even a mild-mannered black duck.

Denise Arasin is a volunteer at the Homeless Garden Project farm and founder of Duck Lovers Adoptions.

The farm is community supported with some 1,200 volunteers, which Blum realized added another layer of meaning to the photo. This gave her the idea of also highlighting non-profits that are contributing to local food systems and economic development in future aerial photos.

During the shoot, Andrea Blum controlled the camera while her brother Kenny operated the remote-controlled helicopter, which he built.

To take the aerial photos, Blum uses a camera strapped to a remote-controlled helicopter built by her brother and fellow collaborator Kenny Blum. It rose above the group of food and drink makers assembled in a grid.

The Blums use two different remote-controlled helicopters for the project, including one with four propellers and one with eight, which is shown here and used in windy conditions.

"As a food producer, you don't get to lay down very often," says Melinda Harrower, owner of Melinda's Gluten Free. "It was nice to just lay in the sun in a field."

Shelley Fryer, owner of Shelley's Biscotti, read about the photo shoot in the local newspaper and loved how Blum arranged the first group of artisans in Marin to resemble a quilt. Fryer hopes people will appreciate the diversity of food makers represented in the MAP photos, some of whom she'd heard about but had never met.

Shelley Fryer launched Shelley's Biscotti 16 years ago in Santa Cruz. She says she hardly ever misses a day at the bakery.

"I work all the time so I don't really see other people who do what I do," Fryer says. "I'm aware of them but haven't had the chance to connect, so it was nice to have that opportunity."

Kristen Cederquist, co-owner of Serendipity Saucy Spreads, also doesn't get many chances to hang out with fellow food producers in such a laid-back setting. She even discussed a potential collaboration with Chris LaVeque, a butcher with El Salchichero.

Melinda Harrower of Melinda's Gluten Free and Kristen Cederquist of Serendipity Saucy Spreads talk shop in between photos.

Cederquist sees the MAP project as another way to tell her story and add a human dimension to her products. She and her mother have been making fruit preserves since they were both children and they created their company out of this family tradition.

"It's not made in a factory," she says. "Everything is made with our hands and we love what we do."

Kenny BlumKenny Blum

My American Pantry (MAP) Celebrates Local Food Producers