To me, "cuisine" means the entire system of food preparation and cooking--ingredients, recipes, techniques, utensils--while "food" is the actual final result, served on a plate. Rice is not "Chinese food." Soy sauce is not "Chinese food." A wok is certainly not "Chinese food." Rice and soy sauce and woks are important parts of Chinese cuisine.

Food is simply the stuff that we eat. Animals eat food, and so do humans. But only people, in relatively sophisticated societies, have 'cuisine'. We use the word 'cuisine' to refer to a particular style of cooking and food preparation, specific to a region or culture, and in contrast to another region or culture. For example, Szechuan cuisine is different from the cuisine in other parts of China.

"Cuisine" is just a fancier word for "food". A cook makes food while a chef prepares cuisine.