Today, the keepers of the black-napkin flame can sound a bit sheepish. Chef Suzanne Goin, who runs the Los Angeles restaurants Lucques, a.o.c., and Tavern, said, “We do the black-napkin thing.

“Maps get us around, but they also hold our memories,” says artist and entrepreneur Nikki Gunn Rodenbeck. “Personalized maps become something of a visual story of your life, either in the ...