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Cellpic Sunday—Paul and Linda McCartney’s Improbable Connection to Fairmont, Minnesota

Fairmont Museum display

June 2025.
Fairmont, Minnesota.

On a trip to my wife’s hometown of Fairmont, Minnesota, we visited the Pioneer Museum. Hosted by the Martin County Historical Society, the museum tells the story of Fairmont, laid out across several rooms on three floors of the former St. Paul’s Convent School, which was established in 1917. The school was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis from Rochester and served as both a school and a residence for the nuns. The building was converted into a museum after it was donated to the Historical Society in 1956.

In the museum, I found a fascinating story of a visit to Fairmont by Paul and Linda McCartney. The visit to Fairmont Foods in March 1994 marked the launch of a new line of frozen vegetarian entrees.

Linda McCartney-2
Linda McCartney’s Homestyle Cooking

The McCartneys toured the factory and held a press conference to launch and promote Linda McCartney’s Home Style Cooking, produced in partnership with Fairmont Foods. Linda, a longtime vegetarian and animal rights advocate, personally developed the recipes and chose Fairmont Foods because she admired the company’s values and leadership.

At the time, Fairmont Foods became the first American company to produce an entirely meatless line of frozen entrees, a bold move in the early 1990s food industry. Linda had already launched a similar line in the UK and was looking for a U.S. partner that could match her commitment to quality and compassion. She was drawn to Fairmont Foods not just for its production capabilities but also for the people running it and for its alignment with the community’s values.

Their visit was a big deal—locals gathered at the Holiday Inn to catch a glimpse of the famous couple, and even Minnesota’s then-Governor Arne Carlson attended the press conference. Although the product line was short-lived—lasting just over two years due to Linda’s illness—it left a lasting impression on the community.

About the photos: The two images are snapshots of the display, consisting of a collection of photos taken during the McCartneys’ visit and a framed collection of McCartney’s packaging. Due to the display’s location, the reflections from the ceiling lights marred the images, and I was unable to use my usual tricks to help minimise reflections from items behind a glass frame.

I used Luminar Neo to crop and upscale the opening photo, and I attempted to use Adobe Lightroom Classic’s new reflection-removal feature on the second photo. Still, the removal attempt was a complete failure, as it provided no change to the image after its application.

I invite fellow bloggers to join in by creating their own Cellpic Sunday posts. There’s no set theme—the only rule is that your photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or other mobile device. The second rule is simple: link your challenge response to this post or drop a comment here with your link so others can find it. And remember, despite the name, there’s no penalty for sharing on a day other than Sunday.

John Steiner

43 comments

  3. That’s a great connection. Paul McCartney doesn’t seem like many megalomaniac celebs who only know their own craft and skills but he was supportive of what was important to his wife (even though his skills and talent far outranked most other musicians).

    Reply

  8. Thank you, John, for this great information. I did not know that the history of vegetarian cuisine as a frozen entrée was connected to Fairmont and/or Paul and Linda McCartney. I appreciate your honesty about your plan for the first photo. But I do like both your photos, and the reflection of the ceiling lights looks great to me.

    Reply

  11. How interesting! I remember the novelty of a vegetarian range of frozen foods when these were first introduced in the UK – I think many people thought the concept would never catch on!

    Reply

  12. John, what an interesting story about Paul and Linda. I can imagine all the people eager to get a glimpse of them at the Holiday Inn. I don’t remember ever seeing her products in the stores. I’m not a vegetarian but I bought her cookbook anyway.

    Reply

    • At the time of her product line, my wife was doing all the cooking, and I was oblivious to her products (or anyone’s for that matter.) In recent years, I’ve been a lot more involved in planning and preparing meals.

      Reply

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