The West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce announced Blanca Plascencia, owner of El Fogon, as the recipient of the 2024 Mel Essex Award. The Mel Essex Award, named for business and Iowa community champion Mel Essex, recognizes honorees for high standards of business ethics and a heart for inspiring and encouraging others to fulfill their dreams of securing economic success. Plascencia will be honored at the fourth annual Athene Black & Brown Business Summit at 4 p.m. on April 19. In addition to receiving the Mel Essex Award, Plascencia will also serve as a panelist at the two-day conference. “I am grateful and honored to receive this award, but it also comes with a weighty responsibility,” Plascencia said in a prepared statement. “In accepting the award, I am reminded of the many individuals still residing in the shadows, facing challenges no different from my own. This award serves as a reminder of the ongoing work needed to achieve meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion.”