Michael White is a Canadian-born Jew.

Kley Klemens grew up in Jakarta.

Together, they were… JEWKARTA!

Within weeks of meeting each other in Summer 2019, Kley Klemens and Michael White began discussing the idea of a social-media platform dedicated to the restaurants, bars and cafés (and the people who operate and staff them) in their adopted home of Metro Vancouver.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Kley and Michael became jobless, and they were aware that the restaurants in their community were hanging by a thread — especially once indoor dining became banned by local government. Jewkarta not only gave them something to do at a time when much of the world was sitting at home; it was an opportunity to encourage people to support restaurants that were offering take-out and delivery.

Jewkarta began as a series of YouTube videos, the earliest of them shot with a single phone camera in front of a tiny IKEA dining table in Michael’s apartment. Despite being hilariously primitive (and much too long!), the videos immediately attracted significant attention, thanks in part to Kley and Michael’s onscreen chemistry, and the industry’s awareness of Michael from his previous career as the food-and-drink editor at two Vancouver-based publications.

Jewkarta soon migrated to Instagram, where it slowly but steadily amassed a larger audience, eventually peaking at more than 14,000 followers. Kley and Michael became recognized and respected across the region by chefs, restaurateurs, bartenders, everyday diners and more.

Additionally, in 2025, Kley conceptualized RASA, a series of events dedicated to showcasing the underexposed cuisine of his native Indonesia. The first of these — two pop-up dinners near Vancouver’s Chinatown — sold out. Follow RASA’s own Instagram for announcements about future events.

In January 2026, Jewkarta was quietly put to bed after five incredible years. This blog and the Instagram page will remain intact as a monument and a resource documenting a wonderfully fun, rewarding and delicious adventure.