When you debate about which restaurant to visit, you probably go through a laundry list of food choices that features cuisines from around the world. Do you want pizza or burgers? Curry or sushi? A sandwich or a burrito? Buffet, fast food, or a sit-down restaurant? And while there are certainly a wide variety of options for eating out, the landscape of modern dining has been undergoing a healthy renovation right under your very nose. With the government looking to polish up its tarnished image by demanding healthier fare in schools, overhauling the food pyramid, and outlawing trans fats, several new types of foods and diets have emerged as hallmarks to a generation that is tossing the chips and sodas in favor of foods that are generally more nutritious and sometimes bizarrely alternative.

1. Organics. You’ve probably seen organic foods in the grocery store or heard that they are “healthier” than the items you normally buy. These claims may or may not be true, but here are the facts. Organic produce differentiates itself in the following ways: fruits and vegetables are grown without any chemicals, which means no pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, or harmful fertilizers will touch them, while meats are humanely raised, fed organic grain, and given no hormone injections or antibiotics. This basically equates to a complete removal of chemicals from your foods, which is probably a healthy choice in the long run.

2. Flexitarian. This unique and rapidly spreading diet is mostly vegetarian. It allows consumers the freedom to eat meat occasionally (lean meats like chicken and fish are recommended, although red meats that are high in protein and iron can be consumed up to twice a week), while ingesting a predominantly vegetarian diet.

3. Macrobiotics. This is a big word for a no-meat diet. But it differs from the standard vegetarian or vegan diet in that it relies heavily on brown rice and whole grains, while limiting the intake of fruits and vegetables to certain items that must be eaten in soup form. Additionally, animal products (eggs, dairy) are discouraged, along with items that are high in fat, and strangely, cold foods.

4. Raw foods. Just the opposite of macrobiotics, this diet demands that food be prepared without cooking. Acceptable items include fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, grains, and the like, none of which can be heated to above 116 degrees Fahrenheit at the risk of destroying enzymes that aid in digestion and absorption, or the “life force” of the food.

5. Instinctive eating. This fringe diet (sometimes referred to as Instincto) also requires that foods be raw, but unlike the raw-food diet, it allows for the consumption of animal products. That’s right, you can eat eggs, meat, insects, pretty much whatever you want as you want it…provided it’s raw. The other part of the diet is a bit strange, especially in a culture where the norm is to plan out meals. People who choose this diet are encouraged to eat what they desire at any given moment, and this is determined by smelling (or when acceptable, tasting) the foods on hand. Plus, foods can’t be mixed, spiced, or anything of the sort. They are literally eaten as is.

1. Mario Batali. There are several interesting things to know about the career of this famous chef. For starters, he never completed culinary school (he began at Le Cordon Bleu in London, but dropped out). Then there’s the fact that he somehow snagged an apprenticeship with famed London chef Marco Pierre White, only to disappear for three years to train in a small Italian village before returning to the U.S. Finally, there’s his stewardship of not one, but several highly-rated and award-winning restaurants (not the least of which is New York standard Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca) that rely not on flashy gimmicks and quirky fusion trends to draw a crowd, but rather on hospitality and the simplicity of exquisite flavors to ensure return customers. His career has not been traditional by any means, which only goes to show that many paths may lead to success in the world of culinary mastery.

2. Gordon Ramsey. This chef may be best known for his notorious temper and his intolerance for sluggish, sloppy, or ignorant kitchen help. But before he let it all hang out on Hell’s Kitchen, he made a name for himself by working under some culinary legends (including Marco Pierre White, Guy Savoy, and Joel Robuchon) before he became the head chef of Aubergine, a highly recognized and successful restaurant. From there he became a household name after publishing books, opening more restaurants, and demonically training would-be chefs on one of several TV shows. While his demeanor is nothing to aspire to, there is a lot to be said for his dedication to perfection and his dogged desire to be the best at what he does.

3. Rachel Ray. This petite chef’s claim to fame is her simple techniques and recipes used to create delicious meals in less than thirty minutes. She has somehow managed to turn an otherwise unassuming concept in cooking into a full-blown career that includes cookbooks, a magazine, product endorsements (Nabisco, Dunkin’ Donuts), and even a syndicated “talk and lifestyle” TV show that centers on her cooking. Being cute and spouting clever catchphrases (“Oh my gravy!”) does not a master chef make, but Rachel Ray has managed to segue her personality into a lucrative career as a professional chef.

4. Bobby Flay. Another person who relies heavily on his loud personality to garner attention, Flay is also a stellar and inventive chef. His strengths lie in southwestern cuisine, but that hasn’t stopped him from competing on such televised challenges as Iron Chef and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay (just two of the seven shows he has been featured on). He also owns ten restaurants. And while he went the traditional route by graduating from the French Culinary Institute, he turned down an opportunity to become an executive chef early in his career because he felt he wasn’t ready. As chefs go, he is one of the few who relied on perseverance and training to build his career from the ground up and become the best chef he could be.

5. Masaharu Morimoto. Although he gained worldwide recognition as the somewhat retiring Iron Chef Japanese on the original Iron Chef (a role he reprised for Iron Chef America) Morimoto traveled widely, worked at and opened several restaurants (from Malibu’s famous Nobu to his own Morimoto in Philadelphia), and turned his innovative spirit and love of fusion cooking into an empire. Not to mention his alliance with Rogue Ales of Newport, Oregon, with whom he has created a line of specialty beers. His career has been one of experimentation and sampling of foods from different cultures. And his subsequently unique creations have made him a standout chef.

You can learn a lot from watching one of the many cooking shows that have become almost ubiquitous on your television viewing schedule. Aside from spicing up the fare that issues from your own kitchen, you can catch a glimpse (albeit a dramatized one) of how a professional kitchen is run. But if you’re interested in becoming a chef of some sort yourself, one thing that very few TV shows will tell you is who does what in a kitchen and how your love of cooking can translate into a career (hey, not everyone can get on a show to become the next top chef!). So read on to discover what your options are when it comes to a career in the culinary arts.

1. Executive/head chef. This position is at the top of the culinary food chain (so to speak). The head chef is in charge of the entire kitchen and everyone in it (from lesser chefs to servers). They set the menu and will often float around the kitchen to ensure that all tasks are being done accordingly and pitch in as needed. While executive chefs are well within their rights to dictate any and all tasks to underlings, they may opt to hand-select ingredients, cook a special item themselves, and even speak to guests as a way to introduce the menu or garner feedback.

2. Sous chef. The right hand of the head chef, people in this position are usually in training to become an executive chef. They are generally required to follow the head chef and take on any tasks he throws their way. They should be prepared to fill in at any station in the kitchen, including that of their boss should he happen to be absent.

3. Baker/pastry chef. A baker need not work in a restaurant setting (although their skills with dough and pastry make them a welcome and necessary addition to most kitchens). Many who choose this profession prefer to own, manage, or work in a strictly bakery setting where they have more control over the foods that are produced.

4. Saucier. The saucier is only common in certain restaurants (originating in French cooking) and is in charge of making all sauces (and sometimes dishes that rely heavily on the sauce). It is a fairly prestigious position as a good saucier can make or break a dish.

5. Commis. This is the lowest position in the kitchen and is generally the starting place for any aspirant chef. The commis does menial tasks like preparation (washing, chopping, etc.), but gains invaluable experience in all areas of the kitchen, from cooking to plating. By learning from others, the commis will be able to eventually move up and take on bigger responsibilities.

6. Sommelier. This is not exactly a cooking position, but is nonetheless important in the grand scheme of the restaurant. The sommelier is not required to handle food, but is instead charged with knowing which wine (or liquor) will best suit any dish as well as catering to the requirements of individual patrons when it comes to libations.

Of course, there are also plenty of positions available that don’t require you to be chained to the hierarchy of a formal kitchen. You may choose to start a catering business, become a personal chef to a family, or even become a dietitian to give advice on healthy consumption and meal planning. But if your dream is to work in some of the top restaurants in the world, even if you have to start at the bottom, you should consider some of the positions listed above as an alternative to throwing the dice by auditioning at the Food Network.