TV chef Donal Skehan said he was heartbroken to have been unable to say a proper goodbye to LA before moving home to Ireland.
After four years in California, the Dubliner returned home to Howth last month with his wife Sofie and kids Noah, two and six-month-old Oliver.
However, as the coronavirus crisis hastened their transatlantic move, the cookbook author admitted it was tough to leave their life behind.
Donal, 33, said: “We were not only dealing with the chaos of the pandemic, but then we had to throw moving country into the mix as well, packing four years of our lives into boxes.
“For nearly two months, we were in a limbo land wondering would it all even happen.
“LA almost seemed like the last place to get hit by it. We were watching it move from China, to Europe, to New York and then slowly its way to LA.
“I had this big plan to go to all my favourite restaurants in my last month.
“We didn’t get to say goodbye to friends. On Noah’s last day in care, we didn’t know it would be his last and that was kind of sad, not that he’s aware, but we were caught up in the emotions of it.
“But hopefully once all this is over, I still have quite a lot of work out there, so we’ll be back over to say a proper goodbye to the city and our friends.”
Donal said he has no regrets about their decision and told how his main priority is being surrounded by family while his kids are so young.
The chef, who fronted shows on the Food Network, told RTE Guide: “We’re with an agency over there and they look after our brand deals.
He added: “But there is always the worry that when you come back to Ireland you’re going to miss out on opportunities in LA but for us, having family close was the overarching thing.
“No regrets for now - maybe ask me that again when we’re in the depths of winter.
“I compared the time in LA to being like you’re out in the open water and being home in Ireland is like having your hand on the boat.
“There’s something about the warmth here and having family and friends nearby.
“If something went wrong in LA we were always at a bit of a loss.
“We loved it and we’d definitely move back again but I think at the life stage we’re at with two young kids, it was more trying than I thought it might have been.”
