Stefan Schenkelberg: From Homeless Shelter to Founder

A six-figure commission cheque and a shared bunk bed in a homeless shelter rarely appear in the same biography. For Bavarian entrepreneur Stefan Schenkelberg, both are chapters of the same story. Writing under the pseudonym Stefan von Hofen, Schenkelberg has published a memoir, The Neverending Story of Two Lovers, documenting his journey from real estate wealth in 1990s Germany to homelessness in the United States, and his eventual return to entrepreneurship through his Bavarian delicatessen brand, Rainers Bavarian.

From Commissions in the Millions to a Wall of Silence

Schenkelberg's economic success in the 1990s, when he reported commissions exceeding 400,000 DM as a real estate professional, proved to be a fragile foundation. When his business network collapsed and banks froze his accounts, the result was not only financial ruin but an existential flight across three continents. In the United States, Schenkelberg encountered what he describes as a "Wall of Silence" in Washington, D.C., a diplomatic and institutional vacuum in which his repeated calls for help went unanswered.

The severity of the fall was stark and progressive. Schenkelberg went from high society to a room at a Best Western costing $140 a night, then to a cockroach-infested motel at $50 a week, and eventually to a bunk bed at the "New Hope" emergency shelter in Costa Mesa, shared with 15 strangers. The psychological toll peaked when Child Protective Services threatened to take custody of his son, Ben, a moment of existential paranoia that he describes as the catalyst for the uncompromising sense of integrity he holds today.

A Memoir Built on Radical Transparency

With the publication of The Neverending Story of Two Lovers, released through R.G. Fischer Verlag in Frankfurt am Main, Schenkelberg chose radical transparency as his strategy for rebuilding credibility. Central to that story is his partner, Godivana, an artist and former East German refugee who left her Trabant behind in Prague to reach the West, bringing with her the survivor's mentality that helped the couple weather years of instability together.

One detail Schenkelberg points to as proof of that approach's value: he chose to pay off 8,200 euros in old debts through symbolic 50-euro installments. Several of his creditors, including a lawyer and a bank clerk, ultimately refrained from pursuing formal enforcement measures, a response Schenkelberg attributes directly to his disarming honesty about the debts and his intent to repay them.

A Business Rebuilt Around Family

Schenkelberg's entrepreneurial pivot replaced his brick-and-mortar delicatessen in Waging am See with a "Mobile Tasting Experience" under the brand Rainers Bavarian. The name is a tribute to his brother Rainer, who suffered severe brain damage from oxygen deprivation during heart surgery, a personal dimension that turns the business into something closer to a values-driven mission than a purely commercial venture.

The visible symbol of that new model is a 3.10-metre-tall mobile unit built around Axel Jaeckel's advertising column design, paired with a digital shop that combines physical presence at tourist destinations with broader online reach. Schenkelberg now operates from B1 Coworking Traunstein, a hub connecting him with a network of more than 40 architects, journalists, and creatives, and credits his participation in the Hermann Scherer Gold Program as a key catalyst for his growing media visibility. He is also a winner of the International Speaker Slam competition, held across 21 nations with 150 participants.

The Neverending Story of Two Lovers is available now through R.G. Fischer Verlag. Further information about Stefan Schenkelberg and Rainers Bavarian is available at rainersbavarian.info. Media enquiries can be directed to hallo@rainersbavarian.info.