The delicious and stunning “GNV, DFW and the World”-themed three-layer cake was served

as part of the airport’s DFW inaugural route celebrations in March 2019

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Jan. 8, 2020 –Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) and Maria Rizzo of Sugar, Refined (www.sugar-refined.com), a bakery in Newberry, Fla., have won Anna Aero Magazine’s prestigious 2019 “Cake of the Year” contest, beating out eleven other international competitors, for their inaugural “GNV, DFW and the World” cake.

GNV received the announcement today from Anna Aero’s editors, who said “As you’re no doubt aware, back in 2019 Gainesville Airport won our Cake of the Week competition for the Dallas/Fort Worth route launch. We loved this cake so much that it made the shortlist for our annual Cake of the Year public vote, and we’re delighted to announce that you won!”

The magazine’s announcement of the win is here.

GNV’s CEO Allan Penksa said, “GNV would like to thank all of our supporters who voted for our beautiful cake. These same passengers and friends have supported our airport and believed in GNV throughout an exciting time of consistent growth and expansion. Our gratitude extends to Maria Rizzo for expressing the importance of the DFW route in such a creative and delicious way. And of course, to American Airlines for bringing expanded service to our airport and passengers.”

The cake was created to promote new non-stop service to DFW at the airport’s inaugural celebration on Mar. 3, 2019. It subsequently won Anna Aero’s coveted “Cake of the Week” beating out inaugural cakes from Budapest (Hungary), Riga (Latvia), Kuala Lumpur, La Crosse (Wisconsin), Kannur, (India), Derry (Scotland), Muscat (Oman), and Kharkiv (Ukraine).

For Cake of the Year, Gainesville’s DFW cake received 32.72 percent of the votes, beating out Tampa International (Tampa, Fla.); St. John’s International (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada); Gold Coast Airport (Queensland, Australia); Malta International Airport (Malta); Budapest Airport (Budapest, Hungary); Jerez Airport (Cadiz, Spain); Hamburg Airport (Hamburg, Germany) Seychelles International Airport (Victoria, Seychelles); Seville Airport (Seville, Spain); Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (Paramaribo, Suriname), and Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (Louisville, Ky.)

As the magazine’s editors note, “Cake of the Week – sounds all great fun but we believe route launch parties have a serious side – brave airlines launch new routes, but airport partners must market them! We think there is a direct correlation between the quality of the welcoming cake and the effort an airport puts into a new route promotion and route retention.”

Ms. Rizzo’s design, “GNV, DFW and the World” featured both almond and chocolate Texas Sheet Cake wrapped in beautiful sky-blue fondant. Atop the cake was GNV’s K9 sniffer, Beamer, and an American Airlines ERJ-145 floating on a fluffy cloud. Beneath that was the Gainesville layer, festooned with UF Gator pride, clouds, and an airplane making its way down to the DFW layer. The middle (chocolate) layer featured the famed Dallas Skyline, the Cowboys’ star logo, and the gate to the South Fork Ranch, with a continuing dotted line down to the base layer: The World. A deep blue map of the seven continents of the world was spread across the bottom layer, along with the final destination of the airplane: “THE WORLD”.

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About Gainesville Regional Airport

Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) serves North Central Florida and the Heart of Florida through all facets of aviation: commercial airlines, general aviation, military operations, medical missions and air cargo. Located in Gainesville, Florida, just minutes away from the University of Florida, GNV provides a close, convenient and competitively priced “gateway” to the Heart of Florida. The airport operates 16 daily departures on American Airlines and Delta with nonstop service to the international hubs of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami, allowing access to 343 destinations around the world in one stop. GNV is served by a full-service fixed base operator, University Air Center (UAC). With more than 350 part- and full-time employees and tenants at the airport, GNV has an annual economic impact on North Central Florida of more than $374 million. In 2018, 476,396 commercial passengers set an all-time record of arrivals to and departures from GNV. For more information, please visit flygainesville.com