Shawna Robinson was trapped in a Los Angeles hotel room. “Quarantined” is how she described it. She hadn’t been kidnapped. Quite the opposite. Robinson actually had placed herself in this confining situation. Late in 2009,the Charlottean whom countless gearheads know for her accomplishments...

People call Franklin Garland the “father of truffles.” His wife, Betty, prefers the nickname “Truffle Czar.” And Garland, using an analogy to legendary nurseryman Johnny Appleseed, leans toward the colorful moniker “Franklin Trufflespore.” “But that name hasn’t...