Hiroko Shimbo is recognized worldwide as an authority on Japanese cuisine, has authored cookbooks, is a trained sushi chef, appeared on the Food Network and is a chef-consultant and chef-instructor.

But last month she faced a monumental task: Familiarize American college students with Japanese dishes.

Shimbo was on the Slippery Rock University campus working with cooks from AVI Fresh, the Slippery Rock food-service provider on a ramen noodle soup recipe that may turn up on future dining hall menus.

It’s part of an ongoing program at AVI Fresh, said Jeff Mactaggart, director of resident dining. AVI operates 10 campus dining halls serving 8,900 food-service customers.

“What we try to do is bring in a couple of well-known chefs to introduce students to different cuisines,” said Mactaggart.

First, Shimbo gave a four-hour seminar on the preparation of ramen noodle soup for 22 AVI Fresh chefs from Slippery Rock and surrounding institutions in North Hall on the Slippery Rock campus.

“The ramen noodle is a very in-depth, detailed program. I was not aware of all that went into it,” said Mactaggart.

After the broth and noodles were prepared, they were moved to Boozel dining hall where Shimbo demonstrated the process to students.

“Students have the idea that ramen is a cheap soup,” said Mactaggart referring to the styrofoam cups of noodles. “We tried to show them what a real ramen noodle soup was, not only making the stock, but making the noodles.”

In spite of the painstaking prep work and long list of ingredients needed to prepare for the demonstration, Mactaggart said, “the chefs had a great time with it.”

This isn’t Shimbo’s first consulting job. She often works with restaurants, the food-service industry and professional cooking schools.

She presently serves as a consultant to San Francisco’s Kare-ken, a Japanese curry restaurant.

In addition to consulting and teaching. Shimbo is a frequent guest chef at the Culinary Institute of America’s World of Flavors conference in Greystone, Calif.

She is also an author, having written two cookbooks, “The Japanese Kitchen” and “The Sushi Experience.”

She said her third cookbook, “Hiroko’s American Kitchen,” will be published this fall.

“The dishes use American ingredients with Japanese techniques and flavors,” Shimbo said.