Name: Caroline Schiff

Age: 23

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Education: M.A. in French from St. Andrews University in St. Andrews, Scotland

Job Title: Owner and chef of vegetarian catering company Urban Veggie

What She Does: Caroline tickles the taste buds of event goers with her unique yet simple style of vegetarian cooking. She uses organic and locally grown ingredients, drawing inspiration from a variety of different Mediterranean cuisines. As Urban Veggie’s sole employee, doing all the cooking, marketing, and finances herself, Caroline knows not to literally “bite off more than I can chew.” She caters mostly small-scale events of 35 people or less, doing buffet, sit-down, and cocktail-style parties.

How She Got Her Gig: Cooking has always been Caroline’s passion, but not always her career. While spending a miserable year in the fashion industry, her time in the kitchen was little more than a way to relieve stress until she had the epiphany to start her own catering business. After thinking up a name and image for her company, she immediately hired a business coach to help minimize the risk of starting Urban Veggie without any previous business experience. The coach taught her how to price her services effectively, market herself at little cost, and write a simple business plan. ”If you’re passionate about something, you can make it work as a business,” she says. “But it’s so important to keep yourself grounded and take the necessary steps to ensure you make a profit.”

Veggies Unite: Caroline maintains the best way to find her clients is through word of mouth: ”Veggies know other veggies.” Part of her strategy is to reach out to a network of other chefs and caterers, making them aware of exactly what her company specializes in. “There are also communities of vegans and vegetarians I make myself known to, and they’re excited to hear about a company that caters specifically to their needs,” she says.

If You Can’t Take the Heat: Depending on whether or not she has an event scheduled, Caroline’s day could be spent in her home office researching ingredients, developing recipes, and reading up on industry trends, or in the kitchen and on her feet for 15 hours and counting. She begins preparation for her gigs two days prior, doing any prep work she can before the actual day of the event. For all the hard work and long hours she puts in, catering can be a risky business with little guarantees. “The worst [part] is that I don’t get a regular bimonthly paycheck like everyone else,” Caroline says. “I’ve had to make that sacrifice, but it’s totally worth it!”

This Job’s for You if: You have confidence in your own abilities and a do-or-die attitude toward your job. “You really have to believe in your talents,” says Caroline. “If you want to make it in this industry, or any industry where you are your own boss, you have to have the passion for it and the belief that there’s nothing else you could do that would be as fulfilling.”