When I first started reading John Kessler’s report from Billy Allin’s Cakes and Ale backyard garden, it sounded like he was being one those nosy Decatur neighbors, just wandering into people’s backyards unannounced…

Billy and Kristin Allin’s home seems like any other on its Decatur street — quaint and well-tended, with a mini patch of green lawn and neighboring houses crowding either side.

The backyard is another story. A patio, a sloping yard, a wooded backdrop and — hello — a path.

The path leads through a thicket of tall trees, meanders past a jungle gym and arrives at a sudden, sunny clearing. At the entrance, a hand-painted sign hanging from a trellis announces the “Cakes & Ale Garden.”

Umm, John?  I think that’s called trespassing.

Happily it turns out my fears of food-writers-gone-wild were unfounded.  Kessler does eventually relay some quotes from the Cakes and Ale chef himself (assumedly not given under duress).

Regardless of how the story was obtained, it’s a good piece and worth a glance by backyard gardeners, neighbors and Cakes and Ale fans alike.