Kaitlyn Ward, Owner & Certified ServSafe Food Manager
As the owner of our business, Kaitlyn brings unmatched dedication, focus, and heart to every part of the operation. From long nights refining processes to navigating the unexpected challenges that come with building something from the ground up, she’s been the steady hand keeping things moving forward.
Her connection to the kitchen and cannabis is rooted in her connection to family. Kaitlyn’s mother had an advanced stage 3 cancer by the time it was diagnosed by her care team. Marinol became an important part of their treatment plan. This liquid synthetic THC formulation is used to stimulate appetite, treat nausea, and inhibit vomiting. Her brothers are also U.S. military veterans who helped her see the value that medicinal cannabis, both natural and synthetic, can provide for those struggling with mental health crises when returning from service.
Kaitlyn started her career as a mental health specialist serving youth who are challenged in the typical learning environment. Her nurturing & engaging nature alongside her commitment to quality care was noticed by her administration, who involved her in their health and safety policy. These experiences developed a strong understanding of the complex facets of the healthcare industry, which serve us as we engage with the CRC on the path to legally producing cannabis products.
Kaitlyn represents our brand with great ingenuity and care, ensuring that each product reflects the quality and consistency our customers deserve. As our food manager, she guarantees our goods are stored, processed, and distributed with customer health and satisfaction in mind. She also plays a key role in our finance and culinary research and development efforts, helping us test, refine, and elevate each recipe so that it arrives safely for your late night cravings!
Her work behind the scenes is foundational to everything we do. Kaitlyn’s passion, patience, and persistence make her not only the engine of this business, but one of its strongest creative forces and inspirations.
Gianfranco Altieri, CEO & Process Engineer
As CEO of our microbusiness, Gianfranco is the initiating force behind our creations. What began as an idea to reimagine how cannabis gastronomy could meet the wellness needs of cancer patients like his grandfather and mother has grown into a bold, collaborative venture under his data-driven mindset. With a passion for food science, biotechnology, storytelling and supply chain solutions, Gianfranco has led the charge from concept to execution: developing recipes, building company and regulatory infrastructure, and establishing connections with key stakeholders in our community and industry experts.
Gianfranco’s professional training in operational excellence as a Car T Cell Therapy Manufacturing Operator and Lean Six Sigma Practitioner has afforded great insights into process engineering in aseptic cleanroom environments. His contributions to process engineering projects in pharmaceuticals yielded over 40% average cycle time reduction and $2 million dollars in annual savings, thereby delivering cancer patients their treatments faster and for significantly less money.
In 2025, Gianfranco completed the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Committee (CRC’s) Cannabis Training Academy to better understand the importance of stewarding cannabis/hemp with grace. The history of this plant and our understanding of its properties are important to acknowledge and guide our business practices. Our business intends to expand education and access to cannabis goods, starting with our educational timeline, honoring the communities and activists like Mary Jane Rathbun, Paul Scott, and Valerie Corral who fought for compassionate cannabis care in the states.
We want Pot & Pan to be able to support patients and recreational consumers as they ‘connect the dots’ creating memories in and out of the kitchen. We know that a large part of that is ensuring that our products are affordable for those who need them most: cancer, HIV/AIDs patients, and veterans. Gianfranco’s focus is on capturing our share of an increasingly competitive market by setting us apart from other cannabis manufacturers. For Gianfranco, this means coordinating appointments with attorneys, CPAs, and legislators to advocate for our business needs; developing all necessary and auxiliary systems for supply chain needs; and showing up every week at the community farmers market, public township zoning & planning meetings, and lobbying for our company the ability to serve NJ residents.
Gianfranco is hands-on in every corner of the business, working closely within and outside of his team to build a sustainable, scalable, and profitable manufacturing site that foremost provides delicious comfort food to those who need a pick me up.
Joanne Russo, Supply Chain Manager
Overseeing product packaging, shipping/receiving, and Inventory Management, Joanne contributes her time to ensure that we fulfill your orders in a timely fashion. We couldn’t imagine our team without her nurturing, kind, and thoughtful attitude to keep product deliveries seamless!
We have seen Joanne’s attention to detail and aesthetics transform our customer experience and tailor it to our needs before our eyes!
From Us to You
The idea for Pot & Pan was discussed over a morning coffee at our kitchen table. If you know us, you know we’re never short on big ideas, especially when it comes to the things we’re passionate about.
Some of my most cherished memories are tied to the kitchen. There's something deeply meaningful about the act of preparing a meal, not just for nourishment, but to excite, comfort, or connect. I often find myself revisiting these moments: the quiet love in my mother’s cooking after long days at work, the laughter during family meals with coworkers between dinner rushes, the way I nearly bankrupted myself cooking elaborate feasts for my college friends when I finally had a kitchen of my own. Everyone understands that few things bring people together quite like food.
This company is, in many ways, a long time coming.
When Pot & Pan was first imagined, I was working in an Aseptic manufacturing environment producing CAR-T therapies for cancer treatment. Kaitlyn, meanwhile, was working as a mental health specialist in a psychiatric facility. We are inspired to pursue our cannabis licensure foremost because we believe in how edible cannabis infusions can be transformative to the wellness of many disparate groups.
Our brand originates from witnessing the effects of cannabis medicinally as it was incorporated into both of our mother’s cancer treatments. They have both attributed their recovery to cannabis’ appetite stimulation, nausea suppression, pain inhibition, and euphoric effects. Our goal is to make this type of wellness option more available, in as many options as possible, and as tasty as they possibly can be. We’ve been working hard to create customizable white chocolate lettering, curate a collection of chocolate icons, and design custom stationery addons to boot, because we know sometimes special moments need a little extra sugar to top off the sweet stuff.
Pot & Pan is our leap. A way to bring people together. A love letter to the kitchen table; to our careers in research, healthcare, and science; to the family and friends who’ve uplifted us with their strength and lived experience, and to all of those we hope to connect with in the future.
Thank you so much for your time and support.
Warmly,
Gianfranco Altieri, April 20, 2025.
