HE has worked through the night for the past 50 years. For many of those years he worked from 3pm one day to 6am the next and he did that seven days a week for more than 40 years while working at various locations in Sydney.
But the need to burn the midnight oil eased about four years ago when he moved to the Highlands and took up what he describes as the "best job he has ever had".
Darryl Mitchell, 63, is a baker with Baker's Delight Mittagong and Bowral.
These days he has a far more relaxed working schedule that begins at 1am five days a week.
But the dedicated baker quickly assures that he has always been happy to rise for work.
In fact, he said he couldn't imagine doing any other job and if he had his time again he would make the same career choice.
The New Berrima husband of Miriam, father of six and grandfather of "just short of a baker's dozen" is especially thrilled with his career choice since joining the Baker's Delight team.
"Starting with Jo and Geoff Harrington (business owners) is the best thing I have ever done in my career. They are the best people to work for and so are the rest of the staff. We are like one big family," he said.
These are sentiments reciprocated by the Baker's Delight team.
Mr Mitchell said many people questioned how he had managed to work through the night for so long, but he believed it paved the way for a great lifestyle.
"I have the whole day to do what I want to. I go to sleep at about 6pm and wake up at midnight ready to go to work. I'm home from work when everyone else is just starting," he said.
Mr Mitchell said there was not a bad part of his job.
However, he said attention to detail was all important.
"You have to be on the ball 100 per cent when making the dough. If you miss one ingredient you have to go back and do it all again," he said.
"This is one of the biggest challenges for newcomers.
"That has become second nature for me, but I still make a point of talking to no-none while I am making the dough. I don't want to be distracted from the job."
Such commitment is not surprising considering Mr Mitchell's longevity in the industry - and he has high hopes of many more baking years ahead.
"While Jo and Geoff want me working I'm happy to do so," he said. "I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I retired. My work and my family are my life."
However, he said he was confident the baking industry was in good hands with many great young people coming through the ranks.
"I've helped train a lot of great young bakers over the years and some of the best are those who have trained and are still training at Bakers Delight," he said.
While it's work as usual for Mr Mitchell as he racks of five decades in the baking industry, his work mates could not let the special occasion slip by.
One of his colleagues and "buddies", J.D. Sharma, baked him a treat - the number 50 made from dough and completed with a baked dough frame.
Email a friend