Native Obecian Carly McHenry started out with an online business manufacturing and delivering salads and other healthy meals in Mason jars.
Three years later, Car’s Jars has become so successful that McHenry’s planted roots in a new brick-and-mortar location, 4161 Voltaire St., in a retail space that was formerly a pizzeria.
“It gives us so much more room to grow and expand,” said McHenry, a superstar with the Mason jar whose handmade, healthy, convenient and affordable layered salads are now a staple on the local culinary scene. 
A graduate of Chico State with a degree in exercise physiology, McHenry was working locally with autistic children. But her homemade salads were just so good that friends enticed her to take it to the next level.
Achieving the next higher “rung” in the food industry though involved lots and lots of experimentation. McHenry tried Tupperware first, but found that didn’t last so she converted to Mason jars, which has turned out to be the perfect solution. They’re just the right size and are recyclable, which is important to the sustainability of her business.
Then she had to find a kitchen to operate out of, which she did. But after time, that, itself, became an issue.
“We were renting time from a catering kitchen in Sorrento Valley that we could only use on weekends,” McHenry said adding, “We would have to come in on Friday night at midnight, start cooking, and then package on Saturday and Sunday nights for delivery on Monday. We’ve grown out of that space, and now have our own kitchen seven days a week.”
The restaurateur described her Voltaire outlet as “grab and go.”
“We’re open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day,” she said, noting she has limited seating inside and out for people dining onsite. Consequently, most of her physical location’s business is take out. She also does business lunches as well as plenty of catering.
Car’s Jars’ new space has allowed McHenry to expand her menu.
“We have about 50 different recipes we offer every Monday,” Carly said of her delivery day for clients ordering online, who often order food for the whole week. “Right now, besides salads, we have a new homemade fajita dish that’s like a burrito bowl without the tortilla. We’re also doing oatmeal breakfasts and desserts.”
Cars Jars new Voltaire Street storefront officially opened July 10. Before starting the business, Carly worked with autistic children at ACES. She donated a portion of the proceeds from her grand opening to ACES Academy.
McHenry encouraged people to come in and check out her new place.
“Stop by, we’re always here,” she said.