Phil Rosenthal, star of the Netflix series “Somebody Feed Phil” and creator of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond,” brought fans to their feet with his giddy brand of unabashed kindness and love of food and travel Tuesday night at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland.

Rosenthal took the stage with his trademark impish grin and gangly mannerisms, letting everyone know early on that he had dinner before the show at Duckfat, which drew cheers from the audience.

The Old Port darling’s Frites Shack on Munjoy Hill was featured in his tour of Maine in Season 5 of “Somebody Feed Phil,” which aired in 2022. Season 8 premiered June 18 with episodes including Amsterdam, Boston, Guatemala and Las Vegas.

Rosenthal called out the Palace Diner and co-owner Greg Mitchell, also featured in Season 5, saying that the Biddeford mainstay and its upscale comfort food inspired him to open a diner of his own in Los Angeles. It will be called Max & Helen’s, after his parents.

Rosenthal said he has partnered with celebrity chef Nancy Silverton, winner of the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award in 2014, with plans to open the diner in their Larchmont neighborhood later this year.

While in Maine this trip, Rosenthal said he visited with several cousins who live here, including Anna McDougal, who was featured in Season 5 along with other artists at the Spindleworks art studio in Brunswick. He called out McDougal in the audience, prodding her to admit that he is her favorite cousin, even more than his brother, Richard, who produces “Somebody Feed Phil.”

During the question-and-answer period, Rosenthal admitted his love for dark chocolate and peanut butter confections, which was fulfilled for this performance by Len Libby Candies in Scarborough.

One after another, audience members thanked Rosenthal for being what one man described as “aggressively kind.” Rosenthal admitted he was fortunate to have a job promoting food and travel as forces with the power to unite and entertain people in exceptionally divided times.

“Food is the great connector,” he said in closing. “Laughter is the cement.”