A totally innocent dad looking for a taxi home after a long day of work was beaten to death a stone’s throw from a Queens police station house early Friday — because he declined to take a ride from two phony cabbies.

José Antonio Cocuyo-Malaga, 32, a chef known for carving fruits into floral arrangements, had just grabbed a late bite at a deli when he and a co-worker hailed what they thought was a livery car at around 2:30 a.m. on Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, witnesses told police.

The driver agreed to take them to Astoria — where the chef lived with his wife and 7-year-old daughter.

But Cocuyo-Malaga and his pal became suspicious when they saw two men in the car and declined the ride, sources said.

The thugs jumped out — and a verbal confrontation that ensued turned violent, with one of them bashing Cocuyo-Malaga’s head into the pavement less than 200 feet from the 108th Precinct station house.

He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

The killer fled on foot, and cops did not immediately identify a suspect.

Investigators towed what they believe might be the killer’s car, a gray Chevy Caprice Classic bearing South Carolina plates, the sources said.

Cocuyo-Malaga, a Mexican immigrant, cooked at Bareburger in Long Island City, but his real passion was his successful catering business — known for its elaborate edible creations.

“He’s an artist,” said neighbor Jenny Inga, 28. “He was really well known.”

Local Spanish publications and radio station Pulso Neuva York have featured his elaborate edible sculptures, made from ­watermelons and papaya.

“It’s tragic. It was really shocking,” said Inga.

“He was just really friendly.”

Additional reporting by Kirstan Conley and Beckie Strum