Essay Contest Winner Gets Banquet Hall as Prize

Tony Mavuli has put his profits back into the banquet hall he's built up in Seymour over the past 34 years, and now he wants to pass Villa Bianca along to the right people.

"It's in perfect shape. Everything is like brand new," he said.

Mavuli said his own grown children have other interests. So he hopes to be giving away Tavern 1757, the chapel, the outdoor pavilion, the gardens, even his house, to someone who can describe in an essay why he or she deserves to win this business.

The website to enter is winyourdreamlife.com.

"Everybody's got a chance to enter. It can be family, businessman, anybody," he said.

It may remind you of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Willy Wonka's golden tickets, but there is one crucial difference. To make sure serious people submit entries, there's a $1,000 entry fee. That's a measure of passion.

Mavuli won't be leaving the area and said he'll make sure all brides-to-be who have booked weddings there into 2017 get what they want. He'd like to see his lead employees kept on as well.

Independent judges will choose the winning essay. The contest ends Dec. 15 or with the 12,000th entry.

After the 10,000th entry, the fees go toward the Wounded Warrior Project and scholarships in Seymour.

Contact Us