With a name like Artpie, who wouldn’t be intrigued.  I was invited to a shop and figured I’d see a display case with the pies and ordinary tables and chairs. Instead I found an elegant, stylish shop that was like a tea room. It brought to mind a shop in Paris selling macarons. And the Artpies? They are savory and sweet small pies made with fine organic dough, and with names like Coco Chanel,  Cleopatra, Grace Kelly, and Ella Fitzgerald. Here’s the scoop on this new destination in Aventura Mall, well worth the trip if you don’t live in the area. And there’s another location in Little River.

Artpie is the passion of chef/founder Monique Font Delacroix, an American with an Argentine mother who studied in France and Italy where she became a pastry chef. She started making artpies at her restaurant in Key Biscayne and they rapidly became the star of the menu. Today at her factory she makes pies for luxury brands from the Waldorf Astoria to Ritz Carlton hotels. This special shop is her pride and joy.

All of her creations are made from organic dough and there also is one fully vegan option. Most are round and filled with anywhere from two to five ingredients. Each gives several taste sensations and work for breakfast, lunch and tea time (or merienda). The pastry is warmed before serving, and is a perfect complement to the myriad of fillings.

You can choose from 35 varieties, each named for a different woman in history and icons in the arts, history and fashion worlds.

We tried the Mata Hari filled with Spanish chorizo, sweet onions and mozzarella and the Georgia O’Keeffe with six cheeses and fresh oregano for our savory tastes followed by the sweet Josephine Baker, a divine mix of banana, rum, Nutella and nuts. Mr. W had the Celia Cruz that was guava and cream cheese. They were all delicious and very satisfying.

The shop is a gem. Each piece of furniture in the store has a storied origin. Examples include a long purple Versace dinner table, that once lived in Gianni’s South Beach villa; a pair of 75-year-old chesterfield couches; and set of 1948 Fratelli Paoletti Firenze chairs. The intention behind decorating this new location with vintage and antique furniture is the commitment to honor other people’s history and to encourage recycling and sustainability.

The comfortable, antique chairs are each one of a kind, and the area is bathed in soft light from a dramatic crystal chandelier. The artpies were served on Limoges plates with antique silver cutlery and an artsy place mat. The Versace table is surrounded by high back purple velvet chairs. Lining one wall enroute to rest rooms is a bookcase filled with eye-catching antiques from Monique’s collection. In the restrooms are photo murals of the women for whom the pies are named. And get this detail – two rolls of toilet paper, one black and one white.

Monique is totally into the details.

Artpies are $11.95 each. Coffees and teas are served and soon to come, wine, beer and a selection of soups.

There’s also a café in the factory in Little River, 6732 N.E. 4th Avenue.