Celebrity chef and food television personality Andrew Zimmern posted on social media about his recent trip to Portland that turned into a nostalgic, emotionally powerful food crawl.

“Found myself in Portland Maine for the first time since my parents died there several years ago… went alone on a walk through town,” wrote Zimmern, who recently co-authored The Blue Food Cookbook with Maine chef and sustainable seafood expert Barton Seaver. “Started crying; well more like I couldn’t stop my eyes from leaking. Different than sad crying, or heaving crying, it was like a last release of a big loss. I went to all the places we would go and ate the foods we would eat together.”

Zimmern’s father, Robert, lived the last 10 years of his life near Back Cove in Portland; he died in 2015. Zimmern often came to Portland to visit him and his husband, the painter Andre Leporte.

Zimmern’s post, dated Oct. 26, includes videos and photos from several of his stops, among them The Clam Shack, Duckfat, Eventide Oyster Co., The Holy Donut, Mr. Tuna, and Standard Baking Co. He said as he walked, he found himself bumping into people who knew his parents.

“I have lots of love for an amazing city I will always consider one of my homes,” Zimmern wrote.