Tracy Metro’s culinary “training” took a decidedly different route than many of the chefs she admires today. Unlike those who trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Le Cordon Bleu or L’Ecole Culinaire, Metro cut her teeth at the very 70s kitsch, strip mall cooking school & retail store, “What’s Cooking!” in Rockville, Maryland. More of a survival course than a finishing school; Tracy learned to swim in the deep end as a kid cook. Her mother says, “It’s all been fire extinguishers and Band-Aids from there.” Metro believes the only way to learn to cook is to constantly have a finger in the pot and to use recipes as mere guidelines, not ground rules. Metro says the primary reasons she cooks are to use her creativity in plating meals, to utilize outrageous props for her tablescapes and to justify throwing unforgettable theme parties. Some recent themetastic evenings include: a Gourmet White Trash Soiree (yes, this is an oxymoron), an appetizer party based on food columnist Mark Bittman’s article in the New York Times, “101 Simple Appetizers In 20 Minutes or Less” (unbelievably, there were 101 appetizers present in ONE house!) and a “make-your-own panini" night. Whatever the theme, Tracy gets her guests actively involved in the fun and turns a mere party into an outright par-tay! Tracy makes meals memorable not only by combining the yummy flavors of organic foods, but also by the inventive and exquisite presentation on the plate. Food should be as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palette.