It’s never too late to be an up-and-coming writer. Just ask Joe Lertch, 72, (pictured above, left) the owner of The Vineyard Wine Bar in Havre de Grace, and Mark Robinson, 69, (right) a food and wine enthusiast who lives in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. The two men co-authored their first cookbook at the end of November, a five-year labor of love. And they’re going to do it again—books two and three are already in the works.
Their first book, The Art of Spice & Wine Pairing: Simple Recipes to Enjoy Everyday (self-published, $44.95), offers just what the title advertises, featuring recipes like Chive and Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin and Spicy Cayenne Shrimp Tacos, with detailed chapters on wine grapes. The recipes are accompanied by Mark Robinson’s mouthwatering photography.
Both men started cooking at a young age: Lertch in Neptune City, New Jersey, at age 8 when he made a botched egg breakfast for his parents that prompted him to keep trying; Robinson in his native Sydney, Australia, where Graham Kerr and his cooking show The Galloping Gourmet stirred his culinary curiosity. They met when Robinson, who relocated to the U.S. for a job in the printing industry, had dinner at Lertch’s Harford County wine bar and restaurant…