In the entrepreneurial world, Jake Aronskind and Matt Schkolnick stand out not only for their success but for how they’ve achieved it. As the founders of Pepper (peppertheapp.com), a social cooking app that has cultivated a global community of over a million home cooks, their accolades are impressive. Pepper has been featured on Gordon Ramsay’s reality TV show Food Stars, forged partnerships with household names like Instacart, and earned Aronskind and Schkolnick a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

What makes their story even more compelling is the context in which Pepper was born. Amid the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aronskind and Schkolnick recognized a need for connection. They took what is often a solitary activity, cooking, and reimagined it as a social experience, building a platform designed to bring people together through food. This vision was no accident; it was informed by years of immersion in the community-focused environment of summer camp.

Their journey offers a view into how camp experiences prepare individuals for life’s challenges and for creating meaningful solutions in an increasingly disconnected world.

The Comfort Zone Fallacy

One of the first lessons Aronskind and Schkolnick attribute to their time at camp is the importance of stepping outside one’s comfort zone. At camp, being uncomfortable is the norm rather than the exception. Campers and staff alike are constantly navigating new challenges, from bunk dynamics to leadership roles, learning to adapt and grow in unfamiliar situations.

“Camp is about putting yourself outside your comfort zone and taking a risk,” Schkolnick reflects. “You’re leaving your parents, going out into the world, and facing  a little bit of the unknown. We have definitely carried that with us to today in starting a business, having the confidence to try something new, and thinking it can succeed.”

For Aronskind and Schkolnick, this early exposure to discomfort shaped their entrepreneurial mindset. Starting Pepper meant leaving behind stable careers in finance to dive into the unknown world of app development. Camp had already taught them that discomfort can be a catalyst for growth and that the greatest rewards often come from the boldest decisions.

The Power of Independence

Camp professionals often talk about fostering independence in campers, but the long-term impact of this lesson is sometimes overlooked. Whether it is navigating daily schedules, solving conflicts, or leading activities, campers and staff learn to take ownership of their decisions and actions.

Aronskind recalls a formative leadership moment at camp when he was being made Color War Captain: “I was handed a walkie-talkie and a clipboard and told, ‘Get your kids to where they need to be on the schedule. Good luck.’ I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured it out. That experience taught me to trust myself.”

These early lessons of self-reliance have carried into their work at Pepper. Running a business requires constant decision-making and a willingness to trust one’s instincts. For Aronskind and Schkolnick, the independence they developed at camp is mirrored in the autonomy they encourage within their company culture.

Connection in the Digital Age

Aronskind and Schkolnick’s vision for Pepper, a platform that fosters community through food, directly reflects their understanding of the importance of connection. At camp, relationships are built through shared experiences, whether it’s teamwork on the soccer field, late-night conversations in the bunk, or collaborative leadership in an activity.

“As technology advances, we’re getting further away from human-to-human connection and deeper into this loneliness epidemic,” says Aronskind. “For us, fostering connection means taking the relationships people have with food and breaking down barriers so that others — whether it’s friends, family, or community members — can be part of it.”

This understanding of connection informs Pepper’s mission. Recognizing the isolating potential of technology, Aronskind and Schkolnick intentionally designed their platform to be socially connective. Features such as collaborative recipe sharing and intergenerational cookbooks reflect the same spirit of community they experienced at camp.

Leadership as Collaboration

Another key lesson these entrepreneurs carry from camp into their work is the value of collaborative leadership. At camp, leadership isn’t about authority, but instead about working with others toward a shared goal.

Aronskind offers a revealing insight: “I wouldn’t start a company with 95 percent of my friends. The reason I was so comfortable working with Matt is because I’ve seen him at his best and his worst. At camp, you can’t escape each other. You’re living together, solving problems together, facing adversity together. That’s why we knew we could do this. Starting a company is basically like a marriage, and camp gave us the confidence in each other to start a company together.”

Their ability to rely on each other, communicate openly, and make tough decisions stems from years of shared experiences in high-pressure camp environments. For camp professionals, this underscores the importance of fostering leadership that prioritizes collaboration over hierarchy.

Takeaways

Aronskind and Schkolnick’s story isn’t just a celebration of their success; it’s a case study in the enduring impact of camp experiences. Their journey illustrates how camp cultivates traits that are crucial for navigating the complexities of modern life:

• Resilience
• Independence
• Connection
• Collaborative leadership

“Camp forces you to figure things out,” Schkolnick shares. “You’re put in situations where you can’t ask your parents or teachers what to do. You have to make decisions, live with the consequences, and grow from them. That kind of environment pushes you to mature faster and develop skills you carry for life.”

For camp professionals, the implications are profound. In a world where young people face increasing pressures and challenges, the skills developed at camp are more essential than ever. But these outcomes don’t happen by accident; they require intentionality in how camps design their programs, train their staff, and engage their campers.

The lessons learned at camp can be both individually transformative and wholly relevant to the modern world’s challenges and opportunities. By fostering environments where young people can take risks, develop independence, and build authentic connections, camps have the power to shape the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change-makers, just as they did for Aronskind and Schkolnick.

Photo courtesy of Camp Tawonga, Groveland, CA.

Sam Aboudara is the chief operating officer and executive director of NJY Camps, one of North America’s largest collections of Jewish overnight camps. Jake Aronskind and Matt Schkolnick, now the CEO and COO of the social cooking app Pepper, grew up attending NJY Camps, where Sam was once their soccer coach and, years later, their camp director. They credit their time at camp with shaping their leadership, independence, and social-emotional development.