Serigne Mbaye and His Hunger to Put West African Food in the Spotlight

The aromas of simmering speckled butter beans and squash wafted around Chef Serigne Mbaye’s home kitchen. From the oven, he pulled out pans of sliced okra and jalapeños. He plated the vegetables and topped them with tender, moist baked chicken. It was the first Tuesday in August, and Mbaye, 28, was in the thick of his weekly routine. When Mbaye is in New Orleans, an adopted homeland, he spends the morning at a farmers market,...